“We Won’t Fear Algeria or Togo” — Lwandamina Fires Up Chipolopolo Ahead of Double-Header
Zambia’s road to AFCON 2027 gets serious this month, and head coach George Lwandamina isn’t hiding his ambition. Unveiling his 27-man squad in Lusaka, the Chipolopolo boss made clear his side isn’t travelling to Algiers — or hosting Togo in Ndola — to make up the numbers.
The fixtures
Zambia face a genuine test of character: away to Algeria on 25 September, then straight into a home clash with Togo in Ndola just four days later, on the 29th. Two results that could define their entire qualifying campaign.
Respect, not fear
Lwandamina was careful to frame this the right way — Zambia respects both opponents, but respect and fear are not the same thing, and he wants his players to see this double-header as an opportunity to rewrite history. Algeria’s World Cup pedigree isn’t lost on him either — but he pointed out that Zambia have tested themselves against elite opposition too, having faced Argentina in a recent friendly, giving the squad a real benchmark for where they stand against the continent’s best.
Managing the mental side
Perhaps the most interesting part of his unveiling wasn’t tactical at all — it was psychological. Lwandamina made the point that pressure isn’t about how long a game lasts; a single minute can carry as much weight as ten years of it. It’s a mindset he’s clearly building the squad around heading into two matches with real qualification stakes attached.
On the squad list
Asked about notable absentees, the coach kept his answers measured — declining to detail internal team matters, but confirming that anyone missing is either carrying an injury or suspension. He was firm on one point: Zambia has a deep enough player pool that the squad shouldn’t be built around the same familiar names every camp — there’s a deliberate push to widen the net and test new talent within CAF and FIFA’s squad-size limits.
The bigger picture
Zambia sit in Group I alongside Algeria, Togo and Burundi, as qualification for TotalEnergies AFCON Pamoja 2027 — jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — heats up. Nine of the 12 groups send their top two through automatically; but Zambia’s group isn’t one of the host-nation groups (D, H, L), so the standard top-two rule applies to them.
Two results, four days apart, could shape Zambia’s entire route to East Africa. Can Chipolopolo deliver?
