IQEMBU lesizwe laseZambia elibalwa namazwe angaphansi kwe-Afrika eseNingizimu (Cosafa) abambe iqhaza kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) yakulo nyaka, e-Ivory Coast, nakuba lingathwelwe ngeqoma kodwa liphakathi kwamazwe angase amangaze kulo mqhudelwano.
IZambia ekuGroup F ivula neDemocratic Republic of Congo, eLaurent Pokou Stadium, eSan Pedro, ngoLwesithathu ngo-10 ebusuku.
IZambia yaba yizwe lokuqala lalesi sifunda ukufinyelela kowamanqamu e-Afcon ngo-1974, yaphinde yafinyelela komunye wamanqamu ngo-1994, ngemuva kancane kwesibhicongo esayehlelwa ngo-1993, ifelwa inqwaba yabadlali kuphahlazeka indiza.
Ukuzabalaza kwayo kweminyaka kwagcina kuthele izithelo ngenkathi igcina ngokuyizuza i-Afcon ngo-2012, iguqisa i-Ivory Coast kowamanqamu.
Nokho yahluleka ukusivikela isicoco sayo ngo-2013, iphuma esigabeni samaqoqo, kwaphinda esifanayo nango-2015, nakhona iphuma ekuseni, okwabe sekulandelwa wukwehluleka kwayo ukuzibekisela indawo kulo mqhudelwano kulandelana ngo-2017, 2019 nango-2021.
Ngakho-ke ukukhuza ibuya kweChipolopolo kwi-Afcon yakulo nyaka, kungenye yezinto ezibhekwe kakhulu ikakhulukazi ngabathandi bebhola basesifundeni seCosafa. Amanye amaqembu eCosafa akwi-Afcon, i-Angola, Namibia, Mozambique neBafana Bafana.
IChipolopolo iza kwi-Afcon kuthe gidi izibindi njengoba ingompetha beCosafa Cup baka-2023, nokuyenza ibe yizwe eseliwunqobe kaningi ukwedlula wonke amazwe asesifundeni seCosafa lo mqhudelwano.
Kwi-Afcon yakulo nyaka iholwa u-Avram Grant, ongumqeqeshi onohlonze noyijoyine ngoDisemba ka-2022.
UGrant (68) odabuka e-Israel, ungumakadebona kwezokuqeqesha njengoba eseke waqeqesha emaqenjini ase-Europe okubalwa kuwona iChelsea, iPortsmouth neWest Ham United, okungamaqembu adlala kwi-English Premier League.
Ayangagcina lapho le ngwevu yomqeqeshi njengoba, ike yaqeqesha iqembu lesizwe laseGhana, yalifinyelelisa kowamanqamu e-Afcon ngo-2015, lapho laguqiswa yi-Ivory Coast.
Nakuba iChipolopolo ibophele iningi labadlali abagijima kwiligi yasekhaya iZambia Super League, inabo abagijima kumaligi ase-Europe, okubalwa kubona uLubambo Musonda odlala kwiSilkeborg yaseDenmark, uBenson Sakala odlala kwiFK Mlada Bolestav yaseCzech Republic, noPatson Daka ogijima kwiLeicester City yase-England.
UDaka (26) useshaye amagoli amane emidlalweni eyisikhombisa yakamuva ayidlalile kule kuleli qembu lase-England elilwela ukubuyela kwi-English Premier League. Ungomunye wabadlali leli qembu elithembele kubona ekwenzeni izinto zenzeke kulo mqhudelwano.
Ifomu yakhe ibukeka ifike ngesikhathi esifanele njengoba ekwazile ukubuya namagoli amabili iChipolopolo idlala neCongo (Brazzaville) neNiger ngokwehlukana, ngoNovemba kweyokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba.