By SAMUEL LUKHANDA

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THE race to Russia 2018 World Cup gathered pace as two teams from the Copperbelt punched their tickets to national competition slated for Lusaka to qualify for the continental games in the biggest amateur tournament in Africa dubbed Castle Africa 5’s.

Good Johnson from Kitwe and One World from Luanshya made sure their names were in the draw for the nationals on May 19, 2018 when they won their regional tournaments in Kitwe and Ndola respectively.

One World beat Tazama to book their ticket from the 36 teams that took part in Ndola last weekend while Good Johnson of Ndeke saw off Buchi Boys in the finals of the Kitwe tournament that had 24 teams.

The Lusaka leg of the regional games would take place this weekend May 12th at the Futsal Complex to complete the line-up for the national games that would be graced by Castle Africa 5s Zambian ambassador Christopher Katongo.

The tournament would run across six African countries namely Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia, and would be played at country level as play-offs and culminate to finals that would take place in Lusaka 25-28 May, 2018.
The winning team would go to Russia World Cup in June in an all expense paid for trip in the company of Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o.

Castle larger Larger brand manager Nicholas Thole said consumers and fans who want to take part in the tournament for the Lusaka can still register through participating outlets.
“We are also running with the Super Fans campaign where those that are coming to support the teams will also stand a chance to win two tickets to go with the Zambian team to go watch soccer at the FIFA World Cup in Russia,” Thole said.
Zambia are the defending champions after winning the inaugural competition held in Rustenburg in South Africa last year in June.