Zambia’s locally based players are being given an early opportunity to make their case for places in the Chipolopolo squad ahead of next month’s crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Interim coach George Lwandamina has been putting a 28-man local group through its paces as the team begins preparations for a demanding Group I campaign.
The Chipolopolo will travel to Algeria on 25 September before returning home to face Togo four days later at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
With foreign-based players only expected to join camp when the FIFA international window opens on 21 September, the current training period is providing Lwandamina with an important window to assess the options available at home.
The coach, who has challenged local players to raise their standards if they are to force their way into the final squad, is using the camp to examine players across different positions and combinations.
However, the first phase has been conducted without players from Power Dynamos, Red Arrows and Zesco United, who were involved in an international pre-season tournament.
Their return is expected to strengthen the next local camp and give Lwandamina a broader pool from which to select.
For the players already in camp, the message is clear: performances in training could be the first step towards earning a place in a squad that will face one of Africa’s strongest sides away from home before taking on Togo on home soil.
Zambia are in Group I alongside Algeria, Togo and Burundi in the qualifying race for the 2027 AFCON, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
With competition for places expected to intensify once the foreign-based contingent arrives, the local players have limited time to turn this opportunity into a convincing case for selection.
