Mali vs Zambia Prediction and Betting Tips | December 22nd 2025

Mali and Zambia get underway in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations when they square off at the Stade Mohammed V on Monday. Having lost each of their last four matches, the Chipolopolo will need to be at their best in Casablanca as they look to begin their quest for continental glory on a high.

Mali played out a goalless draw with Jordan on November 18 in their final warm-up game before taking center stage at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Before that, Tom Saintfiet’s picked up consecutive victories over Chad and Madagascar in their final two games of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they finished third in Group I.

Having reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, Mali will look to kick off the new campaign on the front foot, as they eye a first-ever AFCON crown.

Zambia, meanwhile, failed to secure a morale-boosting result in their final warm-up game last Tuesday when they fell to a 2-0 friendly defeat against DR Congo.

The Chipolopolo have now lost four straight matches, including a 1-0 defeat against Niger in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where they finished second in Group E and failed to book their spot in the global tournament.

Zambia will begin their adventure in the Africa Cup of Nations, where they will be looking to surpass their group-stage exit from 2024, when they finished third in Group F with two points from three games.

Mali vs Zambia Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• Zambia hold the upper hand in the history of this fixture, having won two of the last six meetings between the two nations.
• Mali have picked up just one win in that time, which came in their most recent encounter back in September 2022, when they edged out the Chipolopolo 1-0 in a friendly, while the spoils have been shared on three occasions.
• Mali are unbeaten in all but one of their most recent 13 competitive matches, picking up eight wins and four draws since June 2024.
• Zambia have lost nine of their last 10 games across all competitions, with a 1-0 victory over Tanzania on October 8 being the exception.

Mali vs Zambia Prediction

Mali and Zambia will be looking to kickstart their AFCON campaign on a positive note and we anticipate an exciting contest at the Stade Mohammed V on Monday. Mali head into Monday’s tie in fine form, and we are backing them to edge out the Chipolopolo, who have failed to win 12 of their last 13 games.

Prediction: Mali 2-0 Zambia

Mali vs Zambia Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Mali to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in five of Mali’s last matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in Mali’s last 10 outings)

Edited by Peter P