The Zambia U-20 national team’s disastrous outing in Egypt which saw them exit the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage has caused a stir with the fans.
The embarrassing outing by the Chisi Mbewe coached team means pressure has now shifted to the U-23 National team and the senior National team who both have crucial matches this month.
Oswald Mutapa’s Young Copper Bullets have a two legged tie against Egypt for a place at the Morocco 2023 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.
Zambia U23 progressed to the final round with a 2-1 aggregate scoreline while the Young Pharaohs reached the final round with a 1-0 aggregate win over Eswatini.
Egypt will host Zambia on 19th March before making a trip to Lusaka for the return leg on 27th March for a place at the fourth edition of the tournament.
The U23 Africa Cup of Nations will take place in July 2023 in Morocco with the first three teams qualifying automatically to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Meanwhile Chipolopolo have back to back 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Lesotho.
Zambia need to collect maximum points in both games to set themselves up for their first AFCON appearance since 2015.
Both the senior team and the U-23 will now have added pressure with fans expecting nothing but success especially after the early exit of the U-20.
