The Chipolopolo Boys are set to kickstart their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) qualification campaign early next month with an opening Group G clash away to the defending champions, Ivory Coast on September 6.

To the dismay of most Zambian faithfuls, the Copper Bullets will be without their active all-time topscorer, Patson Daka, who has 21 goals in 47 caps. He sustained a knee injury in his final pre-season match with Leicester City that will see him miss a couple of months worth of football action.

Daka has been a very reliable source of goals for Zambia in the qualification phase of the AfCON since making his debut at 16 almost a decade ago. The striker’s knack for goalscoring mirrors that of some iconic Zambian superstars who left an indelible mark on the preliminary stage of Africa’s biggest competition.

BolaNews reveals the list of Chipolopolo players with the most goals scored in the qualification phase of the Africa Cup of Nations.

5. Kalusha Bwalya (8 goals)

The 1988 African Football of the Year scored an impressive 8 goals in 12 games for Zambia in the AfCON qualifiers between 1991 and 2004. He was an obvious inclusion on the list given that he is actually the Chipolopolo’s all-time top scorer at the AfCON finals with 10 goals.

4. Collins Mbesuma (9 goals)

Mbesuma has a pretty decent goalscoring record in the preliminaries of Africa’s football showpiece. He has tallied nine goals at this stage of the competition, including a spectacular five goals in the combined qualifiers for the 2006 AfCON and FIFA World Cup.

3. Christopher Katongo (9 goals)

Alongside scoring the most goals, winning the MVP, and hoisting the trophy at the 2012 AfCON, Katongo was very influential in the qualifiers. Overall, the former Chipolopolo skipper has amassed nine goals in the AfCON qualifiers, which include a memorable hat-trick against South Africa in 2007.

2. Patson Daka (10 goals)

Aged just 25, Patson Daka has already accumulated an astonishing 10 goals in the AfCON preliminaries. He is just the second Zambian in history to score that many goals and is odds-on to break Godfrey Chitalu’s record.

1. Godfrey Chitalu (10 goals)

The name Godfrey ‘Ucar’ Chitalu is synonymous with goalscoring. It’s unsurprising that he holds the record for the most goals in the AfCON qualifiers, given that he is Africa’s record all-time international top scorer with 79 goals for Zambia.

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