The ABSA Cup, formerly the Barclays Cup, is the current branding for an association football cup competition launched in 2007 by the Football Association of Zambia.
Participants are decided half-way through current season (match day 17) and are picked from the two highest divisions in Zambia. Since the inaugural season of National Division One in the 2019–20 season, 2 teams are picked from that division and 6 are from the Super League to enter the competition each year.
Following the full acquisition of the assets and operations of Barclays in Africa, including Zambia, by South Africa-based ABSA (now Absa Group Limited) in 2018, the competition's next edition in 2019 was rebranded as the Absa Cup.
The video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced to the competition and implemented on a pilot basis at the final of the 2023 edition, a first in Zambian football and Sub-Saharan African football as a whole. Thus, this put Zambia on the list as the 3rd African country after Morocco and Egypt to introduce and implement VAR in domestic football matches. Head of referees at FAZ, Aziph Banda, cited the inadequacy of FIFA-certified referees to operate the VAR, with female referee Diana Chikotesha being the only exception having previously experienced its usage at the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations and Janny Sikazwe having retired as the reason why the association appointed foreign referees solely for that final.
New format As of the 2024–25 season, 21 teams from Zambia's three highest leagues (10 provincial league, 4 National division one, 7 super league) will qualify at the halfway point of the season.
Winners
As Barclays Cup 2007 ZESCO United 0–0 (aet, 4–2 pen.) Chambishi 2008 ZESCO United 1–0 Power Dynamos 2009 Power Dynamos 2–1 Green Buffaloes 2010 ZESCO United 2–0 Zanaco 2011 Power Dynamos 2–1 Konkola Blades 2012 NAPSA Stars 4–4 (a.e.t., 4–2 pen.) Power Dynamos 2013 Red Arrows 3–1 Nchanga Rangers 2014 ZESCO United 3–0 Nkana 2015 Green Buffaloes 2–0 Nkwazi 2016 ZESCO United 1–0 Zanaco 2017 Zanaco 2–1 (a.e.t.) NAPSA Stars 2018 Nkana 3–0 Young Buffaloes As Absa Cup 2019 ZESCO United 4–1 Zanaco 2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia 2021 Lusaka Dynamos 0–0 (3–1 pen.) ZESCO United 2022Napsa Stars1–0Red Arrows 2023 Forest Rangers 2–0 Maestro United Zambia 2024 Red Arrows 2–1 Kabwe Warriors 2025 ZESCO United 1–1 (4–2 pen.)Red Arrows 2026 Red Arrows 2–0 Power Dynamos
Performances by club Club Location Winners Losing finalists ZESCO United Ndola 7 1 Red Arrows Lusaka 3 2 Power Dynamos Kitwe 2 3 NAPSA Stars Lusaka 2 1 Zanaco Lusaka 1 3 Green Buffaloes Lusaka 1 1 Nkana Kitwe 1 1 Lusaka Dynamos Lusaka 1 0 Forest Rangers Ndola 1 0 Chambishi Chambishi 0 1 Kabwe Warriors Kabwe 0 1 Konkola Blades Chililabombwe 0 1 Maestro United Zambia F.C. Mazabuka 0 1 Nchanga Rangers Chingola 0 1 Nkwazi Lusaka 0 1 Young Buffaloes 0 1
Records Shadreck Malambo set a competition record by winning all 3 ABSA Cup finals he has featured in, each with 3 different clubs; 2013 with Red Arrows, 2018 with Nkana and 2023 with Forest Rangers.
References