The Our Futbol Podcast is proud to be collaborating with FUTBO13RA® to bring readers coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – Women’s Soccer Tournament. You can download the FUTBO13RA® Guide: Paris 2024 PDF here.
The Olympic experience is one that athletes from all around the world dream of one day taking part in.
No one wants to miss the opportunity to coexist with the world’s sporting elite and have a chance to make history for their country. That is why the qualification spots that are distributed for the Olympic games are low in quantity and as a consequence, the playoffs (whatever the modality) are always very intense and hard fought.
Women’s soccer provides only two slots to African countries and for the 2024 Olympic Games, Nigeria and Zambia have worked hard to secure their place in the tournament.
After a tough tie against Morocco, the Copper Queens took the aggregate 3-2, punching their ticket to the Olympics in Moroccan territories. Their rivals, then led by Jorge Vilda – the former technical director of Spain – were not able to maintain the advantage they obtained in the first leg and ended up losing 0-2 in the second leg that sealed their fate.
“It means a lot to me because it will be the team’s second participation in the Olympic Games in a row,” stated Bruce Mwape at a press conference after qualifying for Paris 2024. “For me it is good and we have improved since I started coaching this team. We have managed to qualify for important tournaments. We have been to the African Women’s Cup of Nations, the Olympic Games and even the World Cup, so for me it is an advantage that we are there (at the Olympic Games) again.”
The relationship between the Zambian team and Mwape began in 2018. In that same year, under his leadership, Zambia qualified for the African Cup of Nations and two years later together they qualified for Tokyo 2020, although we know that this tournament was played until the following year.
These tournament runs ended early, failing to advance from the group stage both times. In fact, in their first match in Tokyo they suffered a devastating defeat that was heard around the world when they lost 10-3 against the Netherlands. However, the result was very different during the next official tournament that Mwape’s team played in. During the 2022 African Cup Zambia successfully stood on the podium after beating Nigeria 0-1 in the third place match.
Their last high-level experience was the 2023 World Cup where they unfortunately fell to both Japan and Spain in their first two games, conceding five goals in each. Fortunately, their journey ended strong as they beat Costa Rica 3-1 in their final group stage match.
Just days before the team’s participation in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, Mwape was linked to a sexual misconduct investigation. The Zambian Football Association (FAZ) came out and stated that it was a story from the past and that FIFA was already working on the matter, but that they never received any type of grievance that linked the technical director with the aforementioned accusations.
In the end, this incident remained a memory, and Mwape and the Zambian team participated in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without any problems. However, FIFA still has its sights on the Zambian Football Association, and in May of 2023, the British newspaper The Guardian published a report in which a new accusation of alleged sexual abuse against Mwape was reported by a FIFA collaborator during the previous World Cup. On top of these reports, the president of the FAZ, Andrew Kamanga, has also been accused of money laundering and influence peddling, leaving the atmosphere outside the field very much up in the air as the leaders of the squad try to keep the results on the pitch going smoothly.
Captain: Barbra Banda
“I am very proud of myself and also of the team because without them I would not be able to score goals,” Barbra Banda told FIFA.com “It’s nice to make history when you get the chance. The only thing I have to continue doing is work hard and make history.”
Barbra Banda is undoubtedly the model player for the Copper Queens. At 24 years old, the team respects the power she possesses and has awarded her the captain’s armband.
She currently holds the title as the top African scorer in the Olympic Games. On top of that, Tokyo 2020 witnessed an incredible feat from Banda: scoring consecutive hat-tricks in the first two matches for Zambia.
Unfortunately for Banda, life has also brought about some challenges. In 2022, on the eve of the African Cup of Nations and in the process of becoming a Real Madrid player, the African Football Confederation excluded Banda from the tournament for “medical reasons.” The ruling also affected three other fellow Zambians, including the talented Rachel Kundananji. After several days of uncertainty, the BBC finally brought to light the real reason why Banda did not play in the continental competition and in the process lost the opportunity to play for the Spanish giant. According to the British media, Banda did not pass the gender tests to establish her hormonal levels. Faced with this situation, the Human Rights Watch raised its voice in support of the Zambian soccer player and pointed out that gender tests are a clear violation of human rights because they stigmatize, stereotype and discriminate. The organization also pointed out that this type of “evidence” is based solely on observations and/or suspicions and only perpetuated biologism, heteronormativity and ignorance.
Fortunately for Banda, this episode did not significantly affect her career, and within a year, she became a starter and captain in her team’s debut at the 2023 World Cup. In March of this year, Orlando Pride took over her contract and she became the second highest transaction in the history of women’s soccer, only behind her international teammate Rachel Kundananji.
Player to Watch: Rachel Kundananji
Just a month before Barbra Banda signed with Orlando Pride, Rachel Kundananji was acquired by newly formed NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) side Bay FC. Her signing is, to date, the most expensive in the history of women’s soccer.
Her debut in the NWSL was a dream; scoring in Bay’s debut match at home at Paypal Park against the Houston Dash. She became the first Zambian soccer player to play in the United States and also the first to score in the NWSL.
Kundananji participated in the 2018 African Cup of Nations and scored three goals during the tournament. She also helped her team qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she started all three games that the Copper Queens played and secured a goal and an assist.
The incident regarding the gender verification also separated Kundananji from the squad that played the African Cup of Nations in 2022 but her return during the 2023 World Cup saw her start all three games that Zambia played, and she scored a goal in the last match against Costa Rica.
The Copper Queens will participate in their second consecutive Olympic Games and Paris will be the perfect place for them to seek to improve from their Tokyo run, where they failed to win a single match.
Now they will have to share a group with two of the top 5 teams in the world: the United States and Germany; while Australia, a semifinalist from the last World Cup, completes the list. Of course the task will not be easy but in tournaments of this caliber there are no easy rivals.
What time does Zambia play at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?
Zambia Match Schedule in Group B
Thursday, July 25
United States vs. Zambia | 12:00 PM PST | 1:00 PM CDMX | 2:00 PM CST | 3:00 PM EST | Stade de Nice
Sunday, July 28
Australia vs. Zambia | 10:00 AM PST | 11:00 AM CDMX | 12:00 PM CST | 1:00 PM EST | Stade de Nice
Wednesday, July 31
Zambia vs. Germany | 10:00 AM PST | 11:00 AM CDMX | 12:00 PM CST | 1:00 PM EST | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
This has been edited from its original version which can be found on the Futbo13ra website here.
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