After the country adopted multiparty politics, the side was nicknamed Chipolopolo which means the "Copper Bullets".

Despite this, the flight continued, and a few minutes after take-off from Libreville, Gabon, where the second stopover had taken place, one of the engines caught fire and stopped.

The loss of power, during the climb after take-off, caused the plane to fall and crash into the water 500m off the coast.

[4] On June 3, 1994, in Brussels, the Zambian football team succumbed to one of the worst losses in its history against Belgium, losing 9–0.

Win Draw Loss Fixture The following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Chad on 11 and 15 October 2024.