ABSA Cup – The Only Surviving Cup Competition in Zambia

ABSA, the only surviving Cup competition

In the past teams would compete not only for the league title but also for the Chibuku Cup, Mosi Cup, BP Top Eight, Coca Cola Cup.

With the waning appetite to sponsor competitions, the Zambian local league and the ABSA Cup offers the only thing clubs fight for.

Maybe it is time FAZ begin to engage some of the multinational corporations to consider sponsoring more cup competitions to bring back the flare of the olden days.

 

Defending champions Red Arrows are still in the hunt to defend their crown although Power Dynamos who are racing away with the league title might just complete their double, like the airmen did in the 2023/2024 season.

The 2025 edition is K6.5 Million rich with the winners set to smile their way to the bank K1,000,000 richer, up from K800,000 in 2024.

Runners-up will also benefit from an increase, now receiving K400,000, up from last year’s K350,000. The travel subsidy was increased to K50,000, though this may vary depending on the geographical location of the teams participating with longer distances attracting the full package.

For the second time in the tournament’s history, the Absa Cup feature 21 teams after the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and Absa Bank Zambia PLC approved a major format revamp last year.

The competition consists of 10 provincial teams, seven MTN Super League teams and four ZPL National League teams.

A thrilling preliminary round match between Makeni All Stars and Muchinga Blue Eagles could stand out as the game of the 2025 tournament.

It ended 2-2 and following a thrilling 16 penalties that had fans on the edge of their seats, the shootout ended 5-4 in favour of Makeni All Stars.

Both teams missed their first three spot kicks before the remaining one were tucked away expertly until a Muchinga Blue Eagles taker had his tame effort saved to give Makeni the victory.

Though the amateur side went on to be knocked out by their more illustrious Kabwe Warriors in the round of 16, they won the hearts of those who watched their exploits at Nkoloma stadium.

Like the oldest competition in the world, the FA Cup of England, the thrills of preliminary rounds always stand out. Particularly that such competitions bring out unheralded teams and players from the lower echelons of the league structure.

The long-forgotten Roan United, who now compete in the little fancied FAZ Copperbelt Provincial Division One, participated in this year’s competition although they could not clear they first hurdle which came in form Nkana.

Roan who in their heyday carried the nickname Stylish so honourably with their pattern of play, are admittedly a pale shadow of their former self.

They still provided an interesting side story to the ABSA Cup in form of head coach Satchmo Chakawa whose own playing career was abbreviated by a road traffic accident 10 years ago but is now cutting his teeth as a coach of note.

Chakawa was involved in an accident enroute to a Chipolopolo training camp ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea alongside Nyambe Mulenga and Changwe Kalale, who later succumbed to the injuries sustained in the crash.