 Chitalu made his international debut on 29 June 1968 in a friendly match against Uganda in Lusaka which Zambia won 2–1.He scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw against the same team five days later.Chitalu played a prominent role during the World Cup qualification matches against Sudan with Zambia being eliminated on a strange rule which was peculiar to Africa and favoured the team that won the second leg.