By CAF Media Team
Zambia arrive in Morocco for the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations with a familiar mix of ambition and realism under Avram Grant.
Drawn with hosts Morocco, a powerful Mali and a dangerous Comoros, the 2012 champions know the margins will be thin in Group A.
Grant has steadied Chipolopolo since taking charge of the squad, qualifying for back-to-back AFCONs and building a younger core around established names.
He says preparation, mentality and game management will decide whether Zambia reach the knockouts.
In this exclusive interview, the former Ghana and Chelsea boss outlines his camp plans, addresses expectations and explains why “the team is the star”. 
CAFOnline.com : What does Zambia’s final build-up look like — friendlies, training priorities and fitness checks?
Avram Grant: We’re finalising a short camp with two friendlies. There’s also an option to join a mini friendly tournament in November if our schedule allows. The important thing is to use every training day well and get the group fully together.
Morocco, Mali and Comoros — what must Zambia do to progress?
It’s a very tough group. From each seeding pot we probably drew the strongest team: Morocco from Pot 1, Mali from Pot 2, and Comoros from Pot 4 have improved a lot. But it’s a good challenge. At the last AFCON we missed the knockouts by a point after poor preparation — we trained only five days. This time we’re preparing properly. It’s never easy to play against us, and our target is to qualify.
Have you set specific targets — group winners, points totals?
I tell the players: even if an opponent looks stronger on paper, that doesn’t decide the result. Our target is clear football principles — good football, big mentality. Tactically we’ll be fine. We go one step at a time: qualify from the group, then in knockouts anything can happen.
Is there a Zambia player who could light up AFCON?
Tournaments always produce a surprise. When I was with Ghana, Daniel Amartey made his debut and built a big career. We have a good squad and some young players who could be highlights — but you never know who explodes until the games start.
What can this group learn from Zambia’s 2012 title-winners?
Football has changed a lot — more dynamic and intense. In 2012 many of Zambia’s players were stars at their clubs. Today, fewer of ours are in Europe; that’s why our star must be the team. The collective must be strong. You can’t compare eras, but that triumph shows what’s possible.
Fans love the idea of a front line with Patson Daka, Fashion Sakala and Lameck Banda. What makes that trio special?
I don’t want to focus on individuals two months out — many things can change. In the last qualifiers we lost several overseas players to injury and still qualified. The lesson is to build a team that can adapt.
Comoros have upset big teams. What makes them dangerous?
They’ve improved a lot, added quality from their diaspora and formed a very good team. If you switch off, they punish you. We respect them.
If you reach the knockouts, what’s the next internal target?
Let’s get there first — then everything is possible.
Which nations are the biggest threats overall — and why?
You can see strength by how many players compete at high level in Europe. Morocco have shown it across two cycles; Mali are full of talent. There are others with depth as well. Africa is very competitive.
In a short, intense tournament, how do you keep players fresh? Any camp rules?
We work on this all the time. Our fitness coach, Jaimie Lawrence, and the performance staff analyse everything — loads, recovery, every minute of training. The modern game demands freshness and we plan for it.
What makes this Zambia different from recent cycles that fell short?
We’ve qualified in back-to-back cycles after a long gap — that’s progress. We’re building a base for the future; most of this team can play six or seven more years. The group is improving; in our last seven games we lost only once. We want to continue that.
Your message to travelling Zambian fans? How can they help?
They’re fantastic. In Ndola they push us like crazy, and even in Tanzania they were louder than the home crowd. Keep that energy — it matters to the players.
Q: What headline would you love to read at the end of the tournament?
“They did their best.”
