George Lwandamina has opened the door to a fresh battle for Chipolopolo places, but the biggest pieces of the puzzle are still to arrive.
With Zambia’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign looming, the interim coach has already put 28 locally based players through an assessment camp as he weighs his options for the demanding assignments against Algeria and Togo.
The provisional group blends promising domestic performers with players who featured in Zambia’s recent international engagements.
Zanaco lead the local contingent with five players, while FC MUZA and Green Eagles contribute four each. Kabwe Warriors, Nchanga Rangers and Mufulira Wanderers are also represented.
Among those selected are Zanaco defenders Frederick Mwimanzi and Tinkler Sinkala, FC MUZA midfielder Kelvin Mwanza and striker Bridger Ngandu, alongside Green Eagles forwards Derrick Bulaya and Rickson Ng’ambi.
However, the 28-man group is not the final Chipolopolo squad.
Lwandamina has indicated that the final selection is likely to be dominated by foreign-based players, who can only join during the FIFA international window. He has challenged the locally based players to seize their opportunity and force their way into the final team.
Notably absent from the initial camp were players from Power Dynamos and Red Arrows because of their continental commitments, while ZESCO United players were unavailable because of the club’s pre-season programme in Tanzania.
Attention now turns to Lwandamina’s provisional squad announcement. It will reveal the returning stars, potential first-time call-ups, notable omissions and how many home-based players have done enough to make the cut.
With Algeria first up on September 25 before the Togo assignment four days later, Lwandamina has little room for error as he begins shaping the team that will carry Zambia’s hopes into the AFCON qualifying campaign.