Zambia Under-20 coach Perry Mutapa admits he faces a difficult rebuilding job but believes a blend of emerging talent and players from the country’s successful U17 side can help deliver an Africa Cup of Nations place.
Mutapa is preparing a largely new squad for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier, with Zambia drawn alongside Malawi, Comoros and Botswana in Group C.
The Chipolopolo junior side have had limited preparation time, but Mutapa says the technical bench has been forced to look beyond the traditional U20 pool, including bringing in players who featured at the recent FIFA U-17 World Cup.
“We want to put up a very strong squad and qualify to the Africa Cup. In doing so, we have to consider everyone who is eligible,” Mutapa said after Thursday morning’s training session at the Bank of Zambia Sports Complex.
“It hasn’t been easy because of time. But we are going to give it our best shot.”
Among those drafted into the squad are Jonathan Kalimina, Christo Chitambala and Abel Nyirongo, who were part of Zambia’s U17 World Cup campaign.
Mutapa believes their experience at that level could provide an important boost to a team that is otherwise starting almost from zero.
“We have the likes of Kalimina (Jonathan), Christo Chitambala and Abel Nyirongo from the U17, so it is important that we tap from the under 17 team which did well at the World Cup,” he said.
The coach acknowledged that the transition has not been straightforward, with several players who featured in Zambia’s previous U20 campaign now too old for the COSAFA tournament.
“I think the last time the national under-20 team was assembled was in April 2025 for the last AFCON. This is a completely new team. So, we have to start from the scratch,” Mutapa said.
“So, it is not easy, but we are trying our best so that we can put up a squad to be ready for the upcoming tournament.”
Players such as David Simukonda, Pascal Phiri and Dominic Kanda are among those no longer eligible, leaving Mutapa with a significantly different group to work with.
“This is a new team from scratch because most of the guys like David Simukonda, the Pascal Phiri and the Kandas (Dominic) are not eligible for this tournament. So almost everyone maybe except the likes of Given Kalusa and David Hamansenya who are part of the national setup. So we just have to do with what we have.”
For Mutapa, however, the tournament is about more than simply navigating the group stage. He wants the qualification campaign to become the starting point for a new generation of players.
“I think the boys just need that encouragement. It is a new team, but we are going to fight hard because it has been long since the U20 did well,” he said.
“For now we want to qualify to the Africa Cup, but after that, we have to set a new chapter where we want to go.”
Zambia, record 13-time COSAFA champions at U20 level, will face familiar opponents in Malawi alongside Comoros and Botswana.
Only the group winners will advance directly to the semi-finals, with the best runner-up from the three groups also progressing.
The two finalists will secure qualification for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The COSAFA Under-20 Championship will be staged in Maputo, Mozambique, from 18 to 27 September.
