The Zambia U-17 men’s national football team has commenced training ahead of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to take place in Morocco this April.
The tournament will serve as a qualifier for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, with the top four teams (semi-finalists) earning automatic qualification.
Head coach Ian Bakala expressed confidence in the team’s preparations. “Everyone is pushing hard. The players coming into camp look promising, and so far, so good. We expect to assemble a strong squad heading into AFCON,” he stated.
Bakala stressed the importance of playing friendly matches to assess the players’ readiness before the tournament begins. “We need at least five friendly matches, including two international games, to evaluate how we will approach the competition,” he added.
The team’s ultimate goal is to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and compete for a spot in the AFCON final. “First, we need to qualify for the World Cup, and then we’ll fight for a place in the final,” Bakala said confidently.
In preparation for AFCON, Bakala and his technical team have made significant changes to the squad by dropping 15 players from their initial list of 40.
The coach stressed that selection is based purely on performance rather than background or past participation in tournaments like COSAFA. “It’s not about where you come from or which club you play for—it’s about what you bring to the team,” he explained. “If a new player performs better than someone who played at COSAFA, they will take their place.”
Zambia aims to secure its place on the global stage at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 in Qatar.
