Zambia’s U-20 national team will kick off their campaign at the 2026 COSAFA U-20 Championship in Mozambique tomorrow when they take on Malawi.
The COSAFA Championship, which doubles as the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier, will run from September 18 to September 27, 2026.
Zambia is in Group C alongside Malawi, Comoros and Botswana.
Hosts Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles make up Group A, while Group B features defending champions South Africa, Angola, Lesotho and Eswatini.
The group winners and the best-ranked second-placed team will progress to the semi-finals.
Zambia head coach Perry Mutapa wants his side to make a positive start to the tournament.
“The tournament starts tomorrow. Very important that we start well in tomorrow’s game against a very determined Malawi side,” Mutapa said. “So for us, the preparations have been going well, and we just want to do well so that we can set the tone for the tournament.”
Mutapa also emphasised that the ultimate objective is to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.
“As a team we know the importance of doing well in the first game, as it sets the tone. But of course, we know why we are here. Yes, it’s a COSAFA tournament, but the ultimate is to qualify for the Africa Cup. So in all tournaments, I think the first game is always important.”
Zambia Aiming For World Cup Return
As former champions of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and runners-up in 2013, Zambia are looking to return to the continental competition after a disappointing campaign last year, when they were eliminated in the group stage.
In 2017, Zambia made history by winning the Africa Cup on home soil under coach Beston Chambeshi.
The triumph also secured Zambia’s qualification for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, where the Junior Chipolopolo reached the quarter-finals.
Since then, Zambia have struggled to return to the global stage, making qualification for the next cycle one of the key objectives for Mutapa’s side.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is scheduled for 2027 and will be co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
