Exclusive: ‘2024 Was A Huge Success,’ Says Chipolopolo Keeper Toaster Nsabata

Chipolopolo goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata has described 2024 as successful, ranking Zambia’s qualification to the 2025 Morocco Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as the biggest achievement of the year.

On November 15, Nsabata was part of the Zambia team that clinched qualification to the AFCON with a game to spare when they beat Ivory Coast 1-0 at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium via a Kennedy Musonda goal.

Four days later, he kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Sierra Leone as Chipolopolo finished the qualifiers leaders of Group G with 13 points, one better than holders Ivory Coast.

IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR

Looking back on 2024, Nsabata told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview that qualifying to AFCON as group leaders was the biggest highlight of the year.

“We were in a tough group, which had the defending champions Ivory Coast, for me the AFCON qualification really made our year special. It is not easy to qualify for the AFCON these days so if you ask me for success, I would say qualifying to the AFCON was a big achievement this year,” he said.

He said the team made Zambians proud.

THE HARD WORK BEGINS NOW

Nsabata said there is no time for honeymoon on the part of the players because he anticipates a tough tournament in Morocco.  The AFCON will be played between December 21, 2025, and January 18, 2026.

Since winning the AFCON back in 2012, Zambia has never made it past the group stages of the event, something that Nsabata said the team should be prepared to challenge.

“We need to prepare well, I trust the Football Association of Zambia and the coach have a good program for us to ensure that the team is ready for the AFCON challenge.

“All I can say to my fellow players is that we need to be in top shape at our clubs, so that when the time for AFCON comes, everyone is ready for the challenge. It will definitely be a tough competition because the level at AFCON has continued to advance,” Nsbata said.  

ONE EYE ON WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

In 2025, Zambia will not only focus on doing well at the AFCON but also aim to revive their chances in the race to qualify to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In the race to the World Cup, Zambia has fared badly, sitting third from bottom with three points from a possible 12. The Avram Grant led team is without a win in three matches.

In 2025, the qualifiers will return with Zambia facing Congo Brazzaville, Morocco, Tanzania and Niger. Nsabata believes the team can revive their campaign.

“It has been tough in the World Cup qualifiers, but in football nothing is impossible. We can still stage a strong finish if we move with the same determination we had in the AFCON qualifiers,” he said.

He hoped that by the time the qualifiers resume, most key players that had been out on injury would return. “Remember, recently we had a lot of injuries in the team, I am praying that with all the key players back, we can have a good run in the World Cup qualifiers,” he concluded.

To qualify to the World Cup, Zambia needs to finish top of their group. Should they fail to do so, they will hope to be among the four best ranked second placed teams who will make it into a play-off.

The top finisher in each of the nine groups will qualify for the World Cup, but there is a hope for any of the four best runners-up who will face off in two one-off semi-finals, followed by a final.

The winner of that final will compete in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament for a spot in the World Cup.