HOW PRISON LEOPARDS ROARED INTO THE SUPER LEAGUE FROM 6th PLACE
IN what will go down as one of the most dramatic finales in Zambian National League history, Prison Leopards FC pulled off a miraculous last-day leap jumping from 6th to 4th place to secure a 2025/26 Zambian Super League spot.
Coming into Week 34, the odds were stacked against the Central Province side. With 53 points and sitting outside the top four, Prison Leopards needed more than just a win they needed goals, results elsewhere to go their way, and most importantly, belief.
And they delivered.
Facing Kafue Eagles, who themselves were desperate to survive the drop, Prison Leopards showed no signs of pressure. They came out blazing with Emmanuel Chabula opening the scoring inside five minutes. A composed penalty by Landu Mlete and goals from Wilmore Haatembo and a second from Chabula sealed a clinical 4-2 win.
But winning wasn’t enough they needed help from other grounds.
Trident, who were ahead of them, could only manage a 0-0 draw with Aguila Stars, staying on 55 points. Meanwhile, River Plate were held to a 2-2 draw by Chipata United, which capped their tally at 54 points.
And just like that, Prison Leopards jumped the queue.
With 56 points, they climbed to 4th place, snatching the final promotion spot from right under Trident’s nose. A team that was outside the top four heading into the final day had completed the unthinkable.
Congratulations to the Leopards. From 6th to the Super League, they truly earned their stripes.
Zed Sport