Jean Girumugisha’s 82nd-minute equaliser earned Burundi a 1–1 draw away to Zambia at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Friday, 13 November 2026. The completed match record shows that Edward Chilufya had given the hosts a 65th-minute lead in their third 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Burundi respond after the breakthrough

The game remained goalless until the second half, before Chilufya opened the scoring. Girumugisha’s reply came 17 displayed match minutes later, leaving both teams with a point. Zambia therefore missed the opportunity to follow their previous 2–0 victory over Togo with another qualifying win.

The statistics give Zambia 55.2% possession and 12 attempts against Burundi’s ten. The visitors, however, produced four shots on target to the home side’s three. The relatively small gap in total attempts and Burundi’s advantage in accuracy provide more context than possession alone.

Equal points do not mean equal games played

Zambia now have four points from three matches, level on points with Algeria, who have played twice. Burundi have two points and Togo three in the Group I table. Algeria and Togo are scheduled to meet on 14 November, so the comparison is a snapshot before the round is complete rather than a settled matchday ranking.

Unlike groups containing a tournament co-host, Group I sends its top two teams to the finals under CAF’s published qualifying format. The official schedule puts the return between Burundi and Zambia on 17 November, with the last two rounds in March 2027.

That return carries separate group points. It is not the deciding half of an aggregate tie, and no away-goals advantage from the Ndola draw determines which side qualifies.

Edward Chilufya with Djurgården on 24 October 2020; archival, not from Zambia against Burundi. Image credit: Jens Backeman — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.