Power Dynamos, Red Arrows and ZESCO United will step up their preparations for the new season when they host a four-team international pre-season tournament in Zambia from 20 to 22 August.
Congolese giants AS Simba FC will provide the international opposition in a tournament that will see matches played at the Arthur Davis Stadium in Kitwe and Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
The opening two days will be staged at Arthur Davis Stadium, before the final round of matches moves to Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on 22 August.
The tournament will be broadcast live on TopStar’s Mafken TV, Mozo TV and ZNBC TV3, with a live feed also available for audiences in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For Power Dynamos, the tournament comes at an important stage of their preparations for continental football. The reigning MTN Super League champions will face Sudanese giants Al Merreikh in the preliminary round of the 2026-27 CAF Champions League.
Power Dynamos will travel to Sudan for the first leg between 4 and 6 September before hosting Al Merreikh in the return leg a week later.
The winner of that tie will meet either Algeria’s JS Saoura or Guinea’s Horoya AC for a place in the Champions League group stage.
Red Arrows, meanwhile, will use the competition to fine-tune their squad ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup campaign.
The 2026 ABSA Cup winners have been drawn against Madagascar’s Rouge FC in the first preliminary round. The Airmen will host the first leg between 4 and 6 September before travelling to Madagascar for the return fixture between 11 and 13 September.
A place in the second preliminary round awaits the winner, where they will face South African giants Kaizer Chiefs, the 2021 CAF Champions League runners-up.
For ZESCO United, the tournament will provide an opportunity to build momentum ahead of the MTN Super League transitional season.
The Ndola giants have recently appointed Mwenya Chipepo as their new head coach, with Tenant Chembo joining the technical bench as first assistant coach.
The three Zambian clubs say the tournament is intended to provide competitive preparation while giving their players and technical benches an opportunity to assess their readiness ahead of the new campaign.
It will also strengthen football relations between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with AS Simba’s participation adding an international dimension to the tournament.
Further details on the fixture schedule and kick-off times are expected to be announced in due course.
