Zanaco FC is a Zambian football club based in Lusaka that plays in the MTN/FAZ Super Division. They play their home games at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka. Zanaco Football Club was formed in 1972 as a social team by management trainees of Zambia National Commercial Bank. The team was launched at LOTUS INN in Lusaka. The founding members were Lloyd Choongo, Ben Banda, Nathan Lupupa and John Kasengele. Starting from the 1980s, Zanaco started growing steadily from a mere social club to becoming one of the most successful and decorated club in Zambian football history. Over the years the Sunset Stadium-based team has won 4 Super League trophies, 4 Charity Shields, 1 Coca-Cola Cup, 1 Mosi Cup and 3 BP Cups. Zanaco are the only team outside of Zambia's Copperbelt Province to have not only won but also defended the Super League Trophy.
The Zambia Super League, known as the MTN Super League for sponsorship purposes, is the top association football league created in 1962 by the Football Association of Zambia. The winners of the league each season receive ZMW1,000,000 ($40000) and a copper trophy engraved with their team name.
Godfrey Chitalu, nicknamed Ucar, was a Zambian footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as the greatest Zambian player of all time as he holds his national team's goalscoring record and was voted Zambian footballer of the year five times. In 2006, he was selected by CAF as one of the best 200 African footballers of the past 50 years.
Zambia national U-20 football team are the U-20 football team for Zambia also known as the Junior Chipolpolo as the senior side are simply known as Chipolopolo(Copper Bullets). They came in fourth place in the African Youth Championship 2007, which meant they qualified for the U-20 World Cup where they were in eliminated by 5-time winners of the African Youth Championship Nigeria.
Roan United is a Zambian football club based in Luanshya, in the Zambian Premier League and mostly successful during the early years of Zambian football. Indeed, they were the inaugural winners of the ZPL, clinching what was then called the Northern Rhodesia National Football League in 1962. They play their home matches at Kafubu Stadium.
The ABSA Cup, formerly the Barclays Cup, is the current branding for an association football cup competition launched in 2007 by the Football Association of Zambia.
Biggie Mbasela, better known as Gibby Mbasela was a Zambian footballer who played for Kalulushi Modern Stars, Mufulira Wanderers, Nkana Red Devils, 1. FC Union Berlin of Germany and Tunisian champions Esperance. Renowned for his dribbling skills, Mbasela was voted Zambian Footballer of the Year in 1990.
Bernard Chanda was one of Zambia's greatest strikers and was the league top scorer three times. Nicknamed 'Bomber,' he played for three of Zambia's biggest clubs – Roan United, Mufulira Wanderers and Rokana United, and is remembered for scoring a hat-trick in the 4–2 semi-final victory over Congo at the 1974 African Cup of Nations tournament. Chanda was voted Zambian Footballer of the Year in 1974 and is fourth on the list of all-time goal scorers for Zambia in international matches behind Godfrey Chitalu, Alex Chola and Kalusha Bwalya with 29 goals.
Boniface Simutowe was one of Zambia's greatest midfielders who also had a long career as a coach. Nicknamed 'Chest Master,' he was the first footballer to be named Zambian Footballer of the Year and Sportsman of the Year in the same season and was part of the great Kabwe Warriors side that swept all the silverware on offer in 1972. He later took to coaching and was involved with the national team for several years.
Jack Chanda Mwinuna was a Zambian footballer and coach. He played for three of Zambia's biggest clubs Roan United, Nkana Red Devils and Kabwe Warriors in a successful career that saw him being crowned as Zambian Footballer of the Year in 1985.
The 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, officially known as the Total U-20 Africa Cup Of Nations, Zambia 2017, was the 14th edition of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 20 and below. The tournament was set to take place in Zambia between 26 February – 12 March 2017.
The Zambian Charity Shield officially called Samuel ‘Zoom’ Ndhlovu Charity Shield since 2003 is a season opener match between the champions of the previous Super League season and the holders of the ABSA Cup. If the Super League champions also won the ABSA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition. The fixture was first played in the 1967 season. The current holders are Zesco United, who defeated Lusaka Dynamos 4-0 in the 2021 match.
The 2019–20 Zambian Charity Shield was the 54th Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Super League and ABSA Cup. This was the second editions in 2019 due to the transitional from a calendar year season to a spring-fall season. This seasons’ Charity Shield match puts 2019 transitional Super League and ABSA Cup winners Zesco United against ABSA Cup runners up Zanaco. Before the 2019-20 Charity Shield final Zesco United featured in the previous 2019 final against Nkana, Zesco lost that match 5–4 on penalties. Zanaco defeated Zesco 1–0 with the only goal being scored by Ziyo Tembo. That defeat for Zesco United was the third consecutive season they have failed to win the Charity Shield, having lost the two previous to Nkana. The match was played at Woodlands Stadium on 17 August 2019.
The 2021 ABSA Cup was the 14th edition of the annual knock-out competition in Zambian football contested by teams from its top tiers and the second to be sponsored by Absa Group Limited following its completed acquisition of the African assets and operations of Barclays in 2018.
According to records from the RSSSF, there were many association football cup competitions organized in Zambia since 1962, some of which are the Independence Cup, the Zambian Challenge Cup, the Champion of Champions Cup and Zambian Coca-Cola Cup, the latter which began in 2001. These competitions are either inactive or were played no more as of 2009.
The 2023 Absa Cup was the 16th edition of the annual knock-out competition in Zambian football contested by the top 6 teams from the Super League and the top 2 teams from the National Division One following the conclusion of match day 17 of the 2022–23 season. It was also the 4th edition under the "Absa Cup" name following Absa's completed acquisition of the African assets and operations of Barclays in 2018.
The 2022 Zambian Charity Shield was the 57th Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Super League and the ABSA Cup winners. The match was played by Red Arrows the champions of the 2021–22 season and the winners of the 2021 ABSA Cup, Lusaka Dynamos. Joseph Phiri's first-half strike won the match securing a notable 1–0 over Lusaka Dynamos for Red Arrows.
The 2024 Zambian Charity Shield will be the 59th Charity Shield match, an annual football match and will be played between the winners of the previous season's Super League and the ABSA Cup winners. The Charity Shield match acts as the dress rehearsal to kick off the 2024/25 Super League. The match will be played by Red Arrows the league champions of the 2023/24 season and Kabwe Warriors winners of the 2024 ABSA Cup tournament. The Red Arrows will be aiming to defend their title and showcase their new nine-ship formation, while Kabwe Warriors will be eager to defend their ABSA Cup title and make a statement in the Charity Shield.
The 2024 Absa Cup was the 17th edition of the annual knock-out competition in Zambian football contested by 10 provincial representatives the top 7 teams from the Super League and the top 4 teams from the National Division One following the conclusion of match day 17 of the 2022–23 season. It was also the 5th edition under the "Absa Cup" name following Absa's completed acquisition of the African assets and operations of Barclays in 2018.
