The Chipolopolo will look to put an end to a difficult run of results in their opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaigns when they face Algeria in Tizi Ouzou on Friday.
Zambia begin their 2027 AFCON Group I campaign against the Desert Foxes at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
The record makes for uncomfortable reading.
Since their 4–0 victory over Comoros at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka in the opening match of the 2012 qualifying campaign, Zambia have generally struggled to start their subsequent AFCON qualification campaigns with victories.
There was, however, one exception.
In the 2013 qualifiers, Zambia opened with a 1–0 home victory over Uganda, with Christopher Katongo scoring the only goal. Uganda won the return leg by the same scoreline through Geoffrey Massa, but Zambia prevailed 9–8 on post-match penalties to progress.
The following campaigns produced less encouraging starts.
In the 2015 qualifiers, Zambia were held to a goalless draw by Mozambique at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Two years later, the Chipolopolo again started with a 0–0 draw at home, this time against Guinea-Bissau.
The 2019 campaign began with another disappointing result as Mozambique secured a 1–0 victory in Ndola, Stanley Ratifo scoring in the 90th minute.
Zambia endured an even heavier setback in the opening match of the 2021 qualifiers, suffering a 5–0 defeat to Algeria in Blida.
The next campaign brought another defeat, with Côte d’Ivoire beating Zambia 3–1 in Yamoussoukro in the opening match of the 2023 qualifiers. Patson Daka scored Zambia’s late consolation after Serge Aurier, Christian Kouamé and Ibrahim Sangaré had put the hosts in control.
The 2025 qualifying campaign also began with defeat as Côte d’Ivoire beat Zambia 2–0 in Bouaké, Jean-Philippe Krasso scoring twice in the second half.
Now, Zambia face another demanding opening assignment against Algeria.
Friday’s fixture is one of the headline matches of the opening round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, with Algeria hosting Zambia in Group I. CAF has confirmed that the qualifiers will be played over six matchdays, with the top two teams in groups without a co-host advancing to the finals.
For George Lwandamina’s side, the challenge is compounded by the fact that the match will be played away from home, with the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium sold out for the encounter.
The Chipolopolo therefore have history to overcome and a difficult assignment in front of them.
Can Zambia finally make a winning start to an AFCON qualifying campaign?
Or will the opening-day struggles continue in Tizi Ouzou?
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