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Biggest win in Cosafa Cup: Zambia 4-0 Malawi (19 April 1997)

Biggest defeat in Cosafa Cup: Zimbabwe 3-1 Zambia (1 November 2009); Zambia 1-3 Zimbabwe (9 July 2017)

Leading scorer in Cosafa Cup: Collins Mbesuma 5 goals

History summary: Zambia won both of the first two editions of the Cosafa Cup, but it took until 2006 for them to claim their third regional title, after which they added a fourth in 2013.

They have a formidable record, having lost just eight times in 52 Cosafa Cup appearances, not counting defeat in post-match penalty shootouts.

They have also reached nine finals in all, making their conversion rate of four trophy wins slightly disappointing by the high standards the country sets for itself.

It was the annual Southern African championship that in 1999 forced Zambia to give up their 15-year unbeaten record at Lusaka’s Independence Stadium when Angola surprised them in the semi-final.

The same happened again in 2001, albeit only after a post-match penalty shootout and again in the 2004 final.

Zambia’s first two Cosafa Cup victories were achieved away from home, drawing in Windhoek with Namibia in 1997 to win the mini-league and beating Zimbabwe in Harare a year later. Their triumph in 2006 was, however, in front of their own fans in Lusaka.

In 2007 they lost on penalties to South Africa, while the South African President’s XI knocked them out of the competition in the semi-finals in 2008.

They were finalists in 2009 in Zimbabwe, but ended up losing the decider 3-1 to their hosts, before getting revenge two years later when they defeated the Warriors 2-0 in the final.

Zambia reached the final again in 2017, but once more lost to Zimbabwe, also by a 3-1 score line.

Cosafa Cup finishes
1997 – Winners
1998 – Winners
1999 – Semi-finals
2000 – Quarter-finals
2001 – Quarter-finals
2002 – Semi-finals
2003 – Semi-finals
2004 – Runners-up
2005 – Runners-up
2006 – Winners
2007 – Runners-up
2008 – Semi-finals
2009 – Runners-up
2013 – Winners
2015 – Quarter-finals
2016– Quarter-finals
2017 – Runners-up
Cosafa Cup result record
P    W    D    L    F    A
Home        19    13    5    1    36    10
Away        33    14    12    7    40    25
Total        52    27    17    8    76    35
vs Angola        5    1    3    1    4    3
vs Botswana        3    3    0    0    6    1
vs Ghana        1    1    0    0    3    0
vs Lesotho        4    3    1    0    7    3
vs Madagascar        1    1    0    0    2    0
vs Malawi        7    4    1    2    11    5
vs Mauritius        1    1    0    0    3    1
vs Mozambique        8    7    1    0    19    5
vs Namibia        5    1    3    1    3    3
vs Seychelles        1    1    0    0    2    0
vs South Africa        3    0    3    0    2    2
vs South Africa Pres XI        1    0    0    1    0    1
vs Swaziland        3    1    2    0    3    0
vs Tanzania        2    1    1    0    6    4
vs Zimbabwe        7    2    2    3    5    7
— Cosafa