Zambia's qualification for the 1994 World Cup in the United States never happened. The national team — widely expected to qualify after a strong campaign — was destroyed in April 1993 when a Zambian Air Force Buffalo plane carrying the squad crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 people on board. The commemorative was issued regardless, placing Zambia among dozens of nations that sold World Cup coins as pure numismatic revenue with no sporting stake in the tournament.
Zambia's qualification for the 1994 World Cup in the United States never happened. The national team — widely expected to qualify after a strong campaign — was destroyed in April 1993 when a Zambian Air Force Buffalo plane carrying the squad crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 people on board. The commemorative was issued regardless, placing Zambia among dozens of nations that sold World Cup coins as pure numismatic revenue with no sporting stake in the tournament.