ZAMBIA’S WORLD CUP DREAM STILL ALIVE!
By Uncle Philip Banda
After beating Tanzania 1–0 in Zanzibar, the Chipolopolo have kept their FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive — with one final showdown left! ⚽
燐 What Zambia Must Do
Zambia’s final match is against Niger — and it’s a must-win.
If Zambia: Beats Niger: they’ll move to 12 points,
and Niger will stay on 12 points.
That will likely put Zambia second (because of a better goal difference).
⚖️ Why Finishing Second Matters
Only the group winners go straight to the 2026 World Cup,
but CAF will select the four best second-placed teams for a playoff round.
Because Eritrea withdrew, Group E has only five teams —
so CAF will use points per game (PPG) to fairly compare all runners-up.
If Zambia finishes with 12 points from 8 games,
that equals 1.5 points per game,
which might be enough to qualify for the playoff stage.
In Simple Terms
✅ Zambia must beat Niger by any scoreline.
✅ That will move them to 12 points and a better goal difference.
✅ They’ll finish second in Group E behind Morocco.
✅ Then, they’ll wait to see if their 1.5 points per game puts them among Africa’s top four second-place teams — and into the playoffs for a World Cup spot! ⚽