Western sports were introduced into Zambia by the European colonists in the early 1900’s, and although development was slow in the years that followed, sport has since grown into a central part of national life. Boxing, tennis, and basketball are popular, but football has long been the most popular of all.

In fact, football is considered Zambia’s national sport. It has become so popular throughout the country that all the people of Zambia felt devastated when their national team was involved in a 1993 plane crash while on their way to a qualifying match for the World Cup.

Zambian football recovered to reach its greatest height in 2012, when the men’s national team, the Chipolopolo, won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. They won Ivory Coast on penalties in the final held in Libreville, Gabon, poignantly close to the site of the 1993 disaster. More recently, women’s football has driven Zambia’s international profile, with the Copper Queens qualifying for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 and reaching consecutive Olympic Games.

Kalusha Bwalya, known simply as “Great Kalu”, is regarded as the greatest Zambian footballer of all time. He served as president of the Football Association of Zambia from 2008 to 2016; the association is now led by Keith Mweemba, who was elected in May 2025.

The African Games, sometimes called the Pan African Games or All-Africa Games, is among the most anticipated sporting events for Zambians. It is a continental, multi-sport event held every four years, featuring sports such as athletics, football, boxing, taekwondo, wrestling and many more. The most recent editions were held in Rabat, Morocco (2019) and Accra, Ghana (2023).

Zambia has competed at the Olympic Games under its own flag since 1968 (having previously competed as Northern Rhodesia) and has taken part in almost every Summer Olympic Games since, missing only the boycotted 1976 Games.

The nation has won three Olympic medals: a bronze for Keith Mwila in the light-flyweight boxing category at the 1984 Summer Olympics, a silver for Samuel Matete in the 400 metre hurdles in 1996, and a bronze for Muzala Samukonga in the 400 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics — Zambia’s first Olympic medal in 28 years.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Zambia. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.

Popular sports of Zambia

Zambia Sporting Success

  • The men’s national football team (Chipolopolo) won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2012, defeating Ivory Coast on penalties in the final.
  • The women’s national team (Copper Queens) qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, where they recorded their first World Cup win, beating Costa Rica 3–1.
  • Zambia won their first COSAFA Women’s Championship in 2022, and finished third at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. This was the team's best-ever continental result before reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 edition (held in 2025).
  • Muzala Samukonga won gold in the 400 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze in the same event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
  • Barbra Banda was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2024.

Great athletes from Zambia

  • Kalusha Bwalya (football)
  • Barbra Banda (football)
  • Samuel Matete (athletics)
  • Muzala Samukonga (athletics)
  • Keith Mwila (boxing)

Zambia Sports trivia

  • in 1993, the entire Zambia National Soccer team perished in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon while en route to Senegal for a 1994 U.S.A World Cup qualifier. All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players as well as the coaches and support staff, were lost in the accident. A rebuilt team went on to reach the final of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
  • At the first Cricket World Cup in England 1975, a team from East Africa competed, which included players from Zambia.
  • At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Barbra Banda scored a hat-trick against Australia, becoming the first footballer — male or female — to score three hat-tricks across two Olympic Games.

Zambia at major events

Past sporting events hosted in Zambia

  • Zambia co-hosted the 2017 COSAFA Cup, and has hosted several editions of the COSAFA Cup and COSAFA Women’s Championship regional football tournaments.
  • Lusaka hosted the 2014 African Youth Games.

Upcoming sporting events in Zambia

  • Zambia continues to host regional COSAFA football tournaments and international qualifiers at its main stadiums in Lusaka and Ndola.

Annual sporting events held in Zambia

  • The Lusaka Marathon, held annually in the capital.
  • The Zambia Super League, the country’s top-flight domestic football competition.

Sporting Facilities in Zambia

  • National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka — the national stadium and largest in the country, with a capacity of around 60,000, opened in 2014.
  • Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola — a modern multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of around 49,800, opened in 2012.
  • Nkoloma Stadium and the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka.