Mutapa to name Zambia U20 squad for 2026 COSAFA qualifiers

Perry Mutapa is expected to name Zambia’s U20 squad for the 2026 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations COSAFA qualifiers later this week. The tournament will be held in Mauritius from 18 to 27 September.

Zambia have been placed in Group C alongside Malawi, Comoros and Botswana. The competition will determine the teams that reach next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, with the top two sides earning qualification.

Mutapa is expected to rely heavily on the group that represented Zambia at the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar. Austria-based Jonathan Kalimina and Sweden-based James Nene Sibeene and Robert “Sugar Sugar” Banda are among the players expected to feature in the provisional squad.

The group-stage format sends each section winner directly into the semi-finals. The remaining semi-final place will go to the best third-placed team across the three groups. Group A contains hosts Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Seychelles, while defending champions South Africa headline Group B alongside Angola, Eswatini and Lesotho.

Zambia are seeking both a place at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations and a route back to the FIFA World Cup. The country have won the COSAFA U20 championship a record 12 times and last appeared at the continental U20 finals in 2025, when the team was coached by Boyd Mulwanda.

The appointment comes as Zambia’s senior national team works through a difficult run. They finished fourth at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with two points from three matches, drawing twice and losing once, while scoring once and conceding four goals. Their latest five-match sequence includes defeats by Argentina, Morocco and Congo DR, plus draws against Comoros and Mali.