The Copper Queens of Zambia played a 1-1 draw against New Zealand during their 2024 Paris Olympics preparation in France.
After their historic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, the team is set to participate in back-to-back Olympic tournaments. Since 2018, the Zambia Women’s National Team has competed in two Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and has secured qualification for their third WAFCON, which will take place in Morocco in June 2025. They also made their debut in the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
Zambia is placed in Group B for the Olympics, facing tough competition from Australia, four-time Olympic champions, USA, and Rio 2016 winners, Germany. Their first match is scheduled against the USA at the Stade de Nice on July 25th, 2024 followed by games against Australia on July 28th and Germany on July 31st.
Coach Bruce Mwape’s squad features the world’s most expensive female football player, Racheal Kundananji, who transferred to Bay FC from Madrid CFF for a record fee of $860,000 (R16,012,942.00). The team also includes Barbra Banda, the leading African goal scorer in Olympic history with six goals. Banda is notable for being the first female footballer to score back-to-back hat tricks at the Games and is currently tied for the top scorer in the NWSL with 12 goals, a feat she achieved in just 12 games.
The Copper Queens squad primarily consists of players from local Zambian clubs, particularly Green Buffalos, along with three NWSL players: Kundananji, Banda, and Grace Chanda, who is Banda’s teammate at Orlando Pride.
