ZAMBIA TO HOST TOGO AT LEVY MWANAWASA STADIUM

Zambia will use the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola for the home leg of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group I qualifier against Togo on September 29.

The Chipolopolo will first travel to Algeria for their opening Group I fixture on September 25 before returning home to face Togo four days later.

Interim head coach George Lwandamina has already begun preparations for the back-to-back qualifiers, with 28 locally based players involved in the first phase of the national team camp.

The initial camp has provided Lwandamina with an opportunity to assess the locally based players ahead of the arrival of the foreign-based contingent when the FIFA international window opens on September 21.

However, the first phase of preparations has been conducted without players from Power Dynamos, Red Arrows and ZESCO United, who have been involved in an off-season international tournament.

The trio of clubs are expected to provide players for the next local camp as preparations intensify ahead of the qualifiers.

Lwandamina has indicated that locally based players still have an opportunity to force their way into the final squad, despite the expectation that the team will be dominated by foreign-based players.

The Chipolopolo are in Group I alongside Algeria, Togo and Burundi in the race for qualification to the 2027 AFCON finals, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

With the qualifiers coming in quick succession, Zambia will face a demanding opening assignment, beginning with the trip to Algeria before immediately turning their attention to the home encounter against Togo in Ndola.

The Levy Mwanawasa Stadium will therefore provide the home setting as the Chipolopolo look to make a strong start to their qualification campaign.