The World Cup is the biggest stage in football with every country hoping to participate in the tournament.
In the 1994 tournament, Africa was given three slots with 39 nations fighting for the rare chance to be part of the tourney in America.
On April 28, 1993, a military plane carrying the Zambian national team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Libreville, killing all 30 men.
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Eight members of the Zambian national team, four members of the technical bench, the chairman of the Football Association of Zambia, a public servant, a journalist and five crew members died in the crash.
The Zambia Air Force had specially organized the flight for the National football team.
A DHC-5 Buffalo aircraft was en route to Dakar for a FIFA World Cup Qualifier match where Chipolopolos were to face Senegal in a World Cup qualifier.
In honour of the members of the national team killed in the crash, they were buried outside the Independence Stadium in Lusaka.
In 2002, the Zambian government agreed to pay an estimated Ksh463.2 million ($4m) in compensation to the families of players and officials who perished in the crash.
The following year in 1994, the Zambian federation quickly put together a new team to complete World Cup qualifying and compete in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite the team not booking a spot for the world cup, the Chipolopolo made it all the way to the AFCON final, where they lost to Nigeria.
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