FIFA RANKING: 90

 

GOVERNING BODY:-

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ)

HOME STADIUM:-

National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka

CAPTAIN:-

Augustine Mulenga

COACH:-

Milutin Sredojevic

MOST CAPPED PLAYER:-

Kennedy Mweene (121 caps)

TOP SCORER:-

Godfrey Chitalu (79 goals)

STAR PLAYERS:-

Augustine Mulenga, Lubambo Musonda, Bruce Musakanya, Benson Sakala, Justin Shonga

NICKNAME:-

Chipolopolo (The Copper Bullets)

RIVALS:-

Ghana

South Africa

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS (AFCON):-

Appearances: 17

Best Result: Champions (2012)

 

The Zambia national football team represents its country in international football and it is governed by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).

The FAZ was founded in 1929 and received FIFA affiliation in 1964. The country is a member of CAF since 1964 as well and is part of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) since 1997.

Zambia was one of the founding members of the COSAFA alongside arch-rivals, South Africa.

The Chipolopolo have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but they have been a good side in African football nonetheless. Their AFCON victory in 2012 came as a surprise to many but they have shown that they are never a team to be taken lightly.

Their recent strong performances have led to a growing rivalry with giants – Ghana. Zambia has made the AFCON final on 2 other occasions and has finished 3rd on 3 occasions too.

The recent past has not been kind to the Zambians, however. They failed to qualify for the 2017 and 2019 AFCON tournaments and will be hoping to set the record straight this time around.

Zambia’s greatest ever player is their highest-ever goalscorer – Godfrey Chitalu. “Ucar” as he was famously known, netted 79 times in just 111 appearances for the Copper Bullets! Tragedy struck in 1993 when Chitalu was the Zambian coach as the team plane crashed leading to his death along with 18 players and the then President of the FAZ – Michael Mwape.

The Zambians have a lot more than football when it comes to emotions as their team takes the field.

FOOTBALL IN ZAMBIA

Zambia has been a very consistent team in African football but has failed to make it on the biggest stage. Fans will be hoping that things change soon in terms of global performance.

Apart from winning the AFCON in 2012 and making the finals in 1974 and 1994, Zambia has been immense in the COSAFA Cup.

They lifted the 2019 trophy after making the finals in 2017 and 2018 as well. They are 5-time winners of the COSAFA Cup and have made the final on 6 other occasions.

Football is the national sport of Zambia and is the most popular too.

The first division of football in Zambia is the Zambia Super League. The league features 18 of the best football clubs in Zambia with Nkana F.C. being the most successful club with 13 titles including their victory in the 2019-20 season.

The top 2 teams qualify for the CAF Champions League while the teams that finish 3rd and 4th get to play in the CAF Confederations Cup.

Zambia follows a promotion and relegation system as well so the bottom teams in the Super League get relegated to the National Division One, which is the 2nd division of Zambian club football.

Just like the Super League, the 2nd division also has 18 teams. The top 2 teams get promoted to the Premier League whereas the bottom 4 clubs face off in a playoff survival to avoid relegation to the Provincial Division One League.

These are the 3 top football divisions in Zambian football.

BETTING IN ZAMBIA

IS ONLINE GAMBLING LEGAL IN ZAMBIA?

Yes, the Republic of Zambia has legalized three forms of gambling – 1) sports betting 2) casino gambling 3) lottery games

The legal gambling/betting age is 18. Online betting providers need to be registered by The Lottery And Betting Control Board under the Betting Control Act.

IS IT SAFE TO BET ONLINE IN ZAMBIA?

Yes, absolutely. Gambling legislation in Zambia currently consists of three main acts – 1) The State Lotteries Act – enacted to control and allow lottery games and pools 2) The Casino Act – the most significant piece of gambling legislation in Zambia that regulates the procedures for licensing casino operators within the nation’s borders and even grants temporary casino licenses in special circumstances 3) Betting Act – established a Betting Board that regulates betting operators.

Gambling/betting operators are required to obtain relevant casino/betting licenses to legally operate in Zambia so as long as you register with a licensed platform, it is safe.

HOW DO DEPOSITS AND WITHDRAWALS WORK IN ZAMBIA FOR ONLINE BETTING?

Deposits and withdrawal methods are very simple for online betting in Zambia. There are mobile transfer systems set up with the likes of MTN and Airtel Money, which are the most common methods used in the country.

IS MOBILE BETTING AVAILABLE IN ZAMBIA?

Yes, given that over 60% of the population owns mobile phones, mobile betting has become extremely popular in Zambia. The official language of Zambia is English so that makes it much easier for users to use online betting platforms with ease.

WHICH ARE THE POPULAR SPORTS FOR BETTING IN ZAMBIA?

Zambians love betting on their favourite teams and players in football. They also bet on cricket and boxing a lot.

ARE WINNINGS FROM BETTING TAXABLE?

Yes, the tax differs for the type of betting/gambling but it is not that significant an amount as it is deducted from the winnings. It is 10% for non-residents and 20% for locals for land-based betting.

Online betting winnings, however, are not taxed in the country.

IS THE SPORTS BETTING MARKET FAIRLY REGULATED IN ZAMBIA?

Yes, the Zambian sports betting market is regulated carefully by The Lottery And Betting Control Board so Zambians need not worry about the security of their funds as long as they bet with a licensed online platform.