Chipolopolo 2027 AFCON Qualifiers has 28 gentlemen into local camp.
Zambia’s road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is beginning at home, with 28 locally based players summoned for a Chipolopolo assessment camp ahead of the start of the qualifying campaign.
Interim Chipolopolo coach George Lwandamina has assembled four goalkeepers, eight defenders, 12 midfielders and four strikers as he takes a closer look at players competing in the Zambian domestic game.
It is an important opportunity for the local players.
For some, the camp represents a chance to move closer to becoming regular senior internationals. For others, it is an opportunity to put themselves into the conversation when Zambia’s foreign-based players return for competitive international football.
And with Zambia preparing to begin the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Algeria away before hosting Togo, there is a clear purpose behind the exercise.
Local Players Fighting for Chipolopolo Places
The squad provides an interesting snapshot of the players currently attracting the attention of the national team technical bench.
Zanaco have the largest representation with five players — Frederick Mwimanzi, Tinklar Sinkala, Francis Banda, Dominic Kanda and Ian Sindaye.
FC MUZA have four through Kelvin Mwanza, Given Kalusa, Chanda Chileshe and striker Bridger Ngandu.
Green Eagles also have four representatives: goalkeeper Mangani Banda, defender Headson Paina and forwards Derrick Bulaya and Rickson Ngambi.
Kabwe Warriors and Nchanga Rangers contribute three players each, while Mufulira Wanderers have two.
There is also representation from Nkwazi, Kafue Celtic, Konkola Blades, Nkana, Green Buffaloes, Forest Rangers and Atletico Lusaka.
That spread is significant.
Rather than constructing the camp almost entirely around players from two or three traditional giants, the technical bench has cast the net across several clubs and divisions in search of players capable of stepping into the senior national team.
Abel Nyirongo Remains One to Watch
Among the most intriguing names is Atletico Lusaka striker Abel Nyirongo.
Nyirongo was born on 5 September 2008, making his involvement at senior national-team level particularly noteworthy. He was part of Zambia’s squad at the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where FIFA listed him as an Atletico Lusaka player.
His rise has not happened overnight.
In December 2024, Nyirongo scored against ZESCO United while only 16, putting him among the youngest goalscorers in recent Zambian top-flight history. He has continued finding the net, including scoring twice for Atletico Lusaka against Kitwe United in May 2026.
A player at that stage of his development being assessed alongside senior domestic players is exactly the sort of pathway Zambia needs to maintain.
The important question is not whether every young player immediately becomes a Chipolopolo regular. It is whether outstanding youngsters can progressively move from youth football, into competitive club football and eventually into the senior national-team environment.
Nyirongo is now travelling along that pathway.
This Is an Assessment Camp, Not the Final Chipolopolo Squad
That (Chipolopolo 2027 AFCON Qualifiers) distinction is important.
The 28 players have been brought together for an assessment camp. The squad should therefore not be interpreted as the final selection that will face Algeria and Togo.
Lwandamina and his technical team are essentially getting an opportunity to examine locally based options before making decisions for the international window.
There are also some major omissions for practical reasons.
Players from Power Dynamos and Red Arrows have not been included because of the clubs’ CAF commitments, while ZESCO United players are unavailable because of pre-season commitments in Tanzania.
That context matters when judging the club representation in this particular squad.
The final Chipolopolo team is also expected to bring foreign-based players back into consideration.
For the locally based players, therefore, simply receiving the invitation is only the beginning. The bigger challenge is convincing the technical bench that they can compete for places when the full national-team pool becomes available.
Full Chipolopolo Local Camp Squad
Goalkeepers
Mangani Banda — Green Eagles
Victor Chabu — Nchanga Rangers
Bradley Mweene — Nkwazi
Christo Chitambala — Kabwe Warriors
Defenders
Jonathan Kalimina — Kafue Celtic
Headson Paina — Green Eagles
Joseph Mulenga — Nchanga Rangers
Jackson Phiri — Konkola Blades
Frederick Mwimanzi — Zanaco
Tinklar Sinkala — Zanaco
Yoram Chanda — Kabwe Warriors
William Kamwanga — Mufulira Wanderers
Midfielders
Kelvin Mwanza — FC MUZA
Given Kalusa — FC MUZA
Chanda Chileshe — FC MUZA
Humphrey Bwembya — Kabwe Warriors
Elliot Kampukesa — Nchanga Rangers
Nduna Zulu — Nkana
Francis Banda — Zanaco
Golden Mashata — Green Buffaloes
Patson Kwataine — Mufulira Wanderers
Kelvin Chipelu — Forest Rangers
Dominic Kanda — Zanaco
Ian Sindaye — Zanaco
Strikers
Bridger Ngandu — FC MUZA
Abel Nyirongo — Atletico Lusaka
Derrick Bulaya — Green Eagles
Rickson Ngambi — Green Eagles
A Familiar Core Is Beginning to Emerge
Another interesting aspect of the squad is that several of these players have already been together in Zambia’s developmental national-team environment.
Earlier in 2026, a squad selected for the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament included Jonathan Kalimina, Headson Paina, Jackson Phiri, Yoram Chanda, William Kamwanga, Humphrey Bwembya, Patson Kwataine, Dominic Kanda, Ian Sindaye, Kelvin Chipelu, Derrick Bulaya, Abel Nyirongo and Bridger Ngandu among others.
That suggests the current camp is not simply a random collection of players based on short-term club form.
There is a group that has been moving through the wider national-team setup and is now being examined with Zambia’s senior AFCON campaign approaching.
That continuity could prove valuable.
Zambia Must Keep the Door Open for Local Players
For years, one of the recurring debates around Chipolopolo has been the balance between locally based and foreign-based players.
Playing abroad naturally exposes players to different levels of competition, coaching and football environments. But earning a move abroad should never become the qualification for representing Zambia.
The domestic league has to remain a genuine route into Chipolopolo.
Assessment camps such as this one create that route.
They allow coaches to work directly with players rather than judging them only from league matches. They also give emerging players an opportunity to measure themselves against others who are close to the national-team level.
Most of these 28 players will still have to fight extremely hard to make Zambia’s strongest squad.
That is precisely how it should be.
The objective is not to guarantee local players positions. It is to make sure that a player performing exceptionally in Choma, Lusaka, Kitwe, Kabwe, Mufulira or elsewhere in Zambian football knows that the Chipolopolo door remains open.
2027 AFCON Qualification Is the Bigger Target
The timing makes this camp particularly important.
Zambia begins its 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign away to Algeria before facing Togo at home during the September international window.
Those matches will quickly shift the conversation from experimentation to results.
The 28 players assembled locally therefore have a limited window in which to make their case.
Some may eventually be released when the full senior squad is assembled. Others could force themselves into Lwandamina’s immediate plans. And a few names currently unfamiliar to many Chipolopolo followers may become important players during the qualification campaign.
That is what makes this camp worth watching.
It is not the final Chipolopolo squad.
It is the beginning of the competition to get into it.
