Kalumba Confident as Zambia Gears Up for COSAFA Cup Glory

Zambia’s COSAFA Cup captain Charles Kalumba has declared the team ready and confident ahead of the 2025 COSAFA Cup tournament, set to kick off in South Africa.

Speaking in an interview ahead of the regional showdown, Kalumba expressed optimism about the team’s preparedness, revealing that the squad has been pushing hard in training and is fully focused on delivering results.

“We have prepared our team and everyone is ready,” Kalumba said. “Everyone has pushed, and I believe we are ready for the competition from the time we started preparing until now.”

Zambia, a record seven-time COSAFA Cup champion, heads into this year’s edition with eyes firmly set on reclaiming the title. Kalumba made it clear that the Chipolopolo’s ambition is nothing short of lifting the trophy.

“First of all, we have to work hard as a team,” he said. “Our target is to go and win gold there. We have to bring back the trophy.”

Zambia’s performance in last year’s tournament left much to be desired, but Kalumba dismissed any notion that the team is under pressure to redeem itself.

“We are not under pressure,” he stated. “We are playing according to the plan that we have made. We are just focused.”

The COSAFA Cup has long been a platform for southern Africa’s finest footballing talent, and Kalumba’s leadership will be key as Zambia aims for an eighth title and a return to regional dominance.

The tournament kicked off this afternoon in South Africa with hosts losing the opener against Mozambique by a goal to nil.