Tragedy struck the Zambian team when the military plane (REG: AF-319) transporting the team to Senegal for a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier crashed late in the evening, on April 27, 1993. Three stops were planned for re-fuelling, but at the first stop, in Brazzaville, engine problems were noted on theBuffalo DHC-5D of theZambia Air Force. Despite this, the flight continued, and a few minutes after take-off from Libreville, Gabon, where the second stopover had taken place, one of the engines caught fire and stopped. The pilot, who had already made a flight from Mauritius the day before, accidentally shut down the other engine, which was still running. The loss of power, during the climb after take-off, caused the plane to fall and crash into the water 500m off the coast. All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players, were killed in the accident.[4]
On June 3, 1994, in Brussels, the Zambian football team succumbed to one of the worst losses in its history against Belgium, losing 9–0. AtCAN 1996, they finished first in the group with two victories (5–1 againstBurkina Faso, goals fromKenneth Malitoli, double fromKalusha Bwalya, goals fromDennis Lota andJohnson Bwalya); 4–0 againstSierra Leone (a hattrick fromKalusha Bwalya and goal fromMordon Malitoli) and a draw (0–0 againstAlgeria), beatEgypt (3–1) in the quarterfinals and loses in semis againstTunisia (2–4) but took third place overGhana (1–0, goal fromJohnson Bwalya).Kalusha Bwalya was the best in the competition with 5 goals. From 1998 to 2006, Zambia did not pass the first round, except in 2004 when they failed to qualify. On September 3, 2006, at home, Zambia achieved the biggest victory in its history againstDjibouti, winning 10–0. During the2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia finished third in the group with a 3–0 victory againstSudan (goals byJames Chamanga,Jacob Mulenga andFelix Katongo), a draw (1–1 againstEgypt, goal fromChris Katongo) and loss (1–5 againstCameroon, goal fromChris Katongo). In 2010, Zambia finished first in her group and facedNigeria in the quarter-finals where she lost on penalties.Jacob Mulenga andEmmanuel Mbola were included in the tournament's Best XI.In 2012, the bestAFCON in Zambia history happened. During the tournament's group stage, they defeatedSenegal(2–1), drew withLibya (2-2), and defeatedEquatorial Guinea (1–0), and qualified top of their group. During the knockout stage, Zambia defeatedSudan (3–0) in theQuarterfinals, beatGhana in the semifinals (1–0) and went up againstIvory Coast in thefinal, where they won their first title, after defeating them in a dramaticPenalty shootout after a 0–0 draw afterextra time.[5]
^Elo rankings change compared to one year ago."World Football Elo Ratings".eloratings.net. 23 November 2025. Retrieved23 November 2025.
^"History of Zambian National Team".fazfootball.com. Football Association of Zambia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved29 October 2016.
Adidas
Diadora
Umbro
Nike
Mafro
KoPa
v
v
Comoros
31'
v
Morocco
v
Niger
v
v
v
Ted Virba (1978)
Ted Dumitru (1980–81)
Ante Bušelić (1981–82)
Wieslaw Grabowski (1983–84)
Roald Poulsen (1993–94)
Ian Porterfield (1994)
Jan Brouwer (2000–01)
Hervé Renard (2008–10)
Sven Vandenbroeck (2018–19)
Milutin Sredojević (2020–21)
Aljoša Asanović (2022)
Avram Grant (2022–2025)
Al Merrikh
Bahrain SC
Bohemians 1905
Leganés
Al-Fayha
Austria Lustenau
Chad, 15 October 2024
Mazembe
Changchun Yatai
1970
1978
2002
2014
2022
1957 to
1963
1965
1968
1972
1974
1976
1980
1982
1984
1986
1990
1992
1998
2012
2021
2027
2029
2009
2016
Third place (1):2009
