Zambia will know their 2018 FIFA World Cup final stage opponents on Friday when the Africa zone group stage qualifying draws are made at CAF headquarters in Cairo.
Chipolopolo is one of twenty teams that advanced to the final qualifying phase from last November’s two-legged knockout rounds and has been seeded according to the FIFA rankings of June 7, 2016 in four pots.
Zambia are in the lowest seeded Pot 4 where the draw will commence from on Friday with the first of of the five team picked from the bowl going into Group A until the fifth one completes Group E.
The sequence will be repeated in Pot 3, 2 and 1.
Zambia will avoid Burkina Faso, Uganda, Gabon and Libya who are also in Pot 4.
However, they could be reunited with 2017 Africa Cup Group E qualifier opponents Congo-Brazzaville who are in Pot 3 that also consists of South Africa and Guinea including Africa’s most successful World Cup campaigner, with seven outings, Cameroon.
A potential draw against Herve Renard’s Morocco who are also in Pot 3 is quite possible.
Pot 2 comprises of Egypt, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Nigeria and Mali.
Potential opponents from Pot 1 are Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire.
The group stage qualifiers will kickoff this October and run until November 2017 with the group winners from the four pools of five teams qualifying to the Russia finals to be held from June 14, to July 15, 2018.
CREATE! Zambia should create – not select a team. A physical features profile of desirable players for each position; matching profiles of best players in the world should be designed and implemented. Height, strength, education, chest measurement, neck-thickness, weight, are among some qualities that the team should demand. Otherwise – Zambia should forget it.
DOES THE GROUP MATTER ANY MORE? For all I care our opponents can even be Lesotho, Swaziland, Djibouti and South Sudan, but we’ll still fail to qualify – the state of our soccer warrants it to be declared a NATIONAL DISASTER!!!!
KAYA!!
A possible draw against Herve Renard’s Morocco who are also in Pot 3 is quite possible.
it doesnt matter who we meet. lets just try to win our home matches and fight hard for 2 draws awa. easy
Iwe Patrick, what you are suggesting does not happen with the Chipolopolo team. Are you dreaming or you are just ignorant, we chinangwa weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!
Ubwangalo bwamupila bane bwalishupa, it all goes with confindence in players because absence of that even Ronaldo fails to perform like a best soccer candidate on planet Earth.
Our lads should be fear free and conquer the giants. No need to choose your opponent the only way you can be crowned champions is to beat the giants.
So do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guys do we really have the means to go any where in soccer? Failing COSAFA, AFCON? I have become very pessimistic about our football.. our players could string three passes at COSAFA, position lost easily… Our number one senior keeper is suspect. Why does it take FAZ such long time to appoint a permanent coach? I believed in George, now I doubt. Our players make the opponents look good, ata ifya bu puba
zambia in group of death. cameroon, Nigeria and ALgeria