Sabobo Banda Eyes Strong Start as Zambia U20 Gears Up for Crucial AFCON Opener Against Sierra Leone
Zambia Under-20 winger Joseph Sabobo Banda emphasizes that the outcome of the first match against debutants Sierra Leone at the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be crucial in determining the team’s tournament journey.
The Junior Chipolopolo are in Group A alongside hosts Egypt, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.
Boyd Mulwanda’s side will kick off their campaign on Sunday at 16:00 against the Sierra Leonean team, the Shooting Stars.
The FC Zurich forward is one of the six foreign-based players summoned for the tournament scheduled from April 27 to 18 May 2025. The semi-finalists will book a slot at the U20 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Chile.
In an interview, Banda believes that qualifying for the World Cup will depend on how the team performs in the group stage.
Banda says that the first match is crucial for building momentum for the 2017 champions, who were last at the FIFA U20 World Cup in the same year.
“The target is to win the first match; it is key because it will give us the direction and determine our realistic chances of attaining our target,” Banda said.
On qualifying for the World Cup, the 19-year-old says, “The group stage is the first step to qualifying for the World Cup. We need to start by finishing in first or second, then we can talk about World Cup qualification.”
In the buildup to the tournament, the team beat Ghana 2-1 in a preparatory match played on Tuesday,. Goals from ZESCO United duo Pascal Phiri and David Simukonda were enough for Zambia to beat Ghana, who scored through Aziz Yeti Mizbawu.
