The Zambia women's national association football team, also known as the "Copper Queens", represents Zambia in association football. They participate in qualifying tournaments for the FIFA Women's World Cup and other African-based competitions. This article explores the team's journey, focusing on kit sponsorships, tournament participation, and significant milestones.
Early Participation and Kit Sponsorship
In 2003, the kit for the team was provided as a result of a sponsorship deal with Umbro, who first agreed to sponsor the Zambia national football team. Some matches were played in 1994 for qualification for the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup. Zambia played in a 5 November 1994 World Cup qualifier against South Africa, losing 3-5.
COSAFA Cup and Regional Tournaments
The team participated in the 2002 COSAFA Cup women's tournament in Harare, Zimbabwe, and was placed in Group A. Zambia beat the Malawi women's national football team 8-0 on 20 April. On 23 April, it beat Lesotho women's national football team 3-1. It played against Zimbabwe women's national football team on 22 April where Zambia lost 0-4. It finished second in its group.
On 26 April, it lost to South Africa women's national football team 1-3 in the semifinals. Zambia beat Mozambique women's national football team 1-0 in the third-place game, with Julia Siame scoring the only goal in the 60th minute. Later that year, in a regional qualifying match for a different tournament, on 21 September in Lusaka, Zambia lost 1-4 against South Africa after being down 0-2 at the half.
FIFA Rankings and Coaching Changes
In 2005, the team's FIFA ranking was unchanged and remained at 113, with it playing in no FIFA recognised matches. The following year, in 2006, Zambia's world ranking dropped to 126. That year, the head coach was George Chikokola.
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In March 2006, the team played a home and away set against Congo DR. On Saturday, 11 March 2006 in a game played in Lubumbashi, Congo DR won 3-0 against Zambia. In 2007, Zambia's ranking improved, moving up 9 spots to 117 in the world.
2006 COSAFA Women's Tournament
In 2006, Zambia hosted a regional COSAFA women's football tournament. Originally nine countries were scheduled to participate, but Mozambique withdrew, reducing the number to eight. The 2006 team had 20 players, and the regional COSAFA championship team was announced on 18 August 2006.
The 2006 Confederation of Southern African Football Associations women's tournament was held in Lusaka. It was in Group A. On 22 August, it tied Namibia 2-2 with Noria Sosala scoring in the 15th minute and Charity Mpongo scoring in the 30th minute for Zambia. It beat Swaziland 7-0 on 24 August, with Charity Mpongo scoring four goals, Susan Banda scoring, Gift Lishika scoring, and Martha Kapombo scoring for Zambia. It finished in the top of its group.
On 25 August in a semifinal against Namibia, it tied 1-1 with Martha Kapombo scoring its only goal in the 90th minute. It lost the game in an overtime shoot out by 4-5.
Participation in African Games Qualifying Tournament
In 2007, the team was supported to participate in the 2007 African Games qualifying tournament, opening against the Mozambique women's national football team. Zambia withdrew from the tournament before it played a single game. Later that year, on Sunday, 2 December 2007 in a game played in Harare, Zimbabwe won 3-1 against Zambia.
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FIFA Rankings and Matches in 2008-2011
In 2008, the team's ranking again went up, this time to 110. The played 1 FIFA recognised match on Sunday, 4 May 2008 in a game played in Benguela against Botswana. Zambia won 4-2, holding on from a 3-1 score at the half. In 2009, FIFA ranked the country as the 92 in the world. That year, it did not play any FIFA recognised matches.
The team's world ranking fell in 2010 to 122. That year, it played in 2 FIFA recognised matches. The first was on Saturday, 2 October 2010 in a game played in Lobatse against Botswana, which Zambia won 4-1, holding on to a 3-0 half time lead. The second game was on Saturday, 23 October 2010 in a game played in Lusaka. Zambia team's rank fell in 2011, this time to 125th best in the world.
In January 2011, Zambia had to face South Africa in the qualifying tournament for the Olympics. It lost the 15 January game in Lusaka 1-2, going down with a score of 0-0 at the half. It lost the 29 January game in Umlazi 0-3 after being down 0-1 at the half. It did not make it into the final group qualification round for the CAF region that fought it out to represent Africa in the World Cup.
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2012 Season and Olympic Qualification Efforts
Going into the 2012 season, the team coach is Enala Phiri-Simbeye, with Deborah Chisanga serving as the team's skipper. On 14 January 2012, it played a game against Malawi that it won 7-0 after being ahead 4-0 at the half. The game was part of the CAF African Women's Championship and was played in the first round and played in Lusaka. Prior to the start of the game, the team danced on the field and sang Chikokishi music.
Malawi beat Zambia 4-2 following a 1-0 lead at halftime in the return leg played in Blantyre, Malawi on 29 January 2012. Suzan Banda scored the second goal of the game, and the first for Zambia in the match. Mupopa Kawange scored Zambia's second goal. For the 2012 Summer Olympics, there are no age restrictions for players, and Zambia opted to qualify with a U20/U23 side.
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Zambia competed in the qualifying tournament in an effort to represent the country at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The qualification tournament started in 2010. During its campaign, it beat the Botswana women's national football team 4-1 in Gaborone and beat it 2-1 in Lusaka. The performance of the team earned praise from women's groups inside the country. On Sunday, 13 February 2011 in a game played at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe won 1-0 against Zambia, overcoming a half time score of 0-0. On the return leg played on Sunday, 27 February 2011 in a game played at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka, Zambia lost 1-3 to Zimbabwe, scoring a goal in the second half with the first half ending with Zambia down 0-3.
Homeless World Cup
In 2008, a team represented the country at the Homeless World Cup. In round robin play, it won every game and were Crowned Champions. The tournament was held in Australia Melbourne. It beat Paraguay 6-1, Uganda 6-1, Kyrgyzstan 5-4, Liberia 4-1, Cameroon 17-0, Australia 18-1 and Colombia 10-1. In the half finals, it beat Kyrgyzstan 10-0.
Qualification for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Zambia qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, making the country the first landlocked nation in Africa to qualify for a senior World Cup in either gender. By reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, it secured qualification. It was in Group C along with Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica.
Its opening match against Japan ended in a 5-0 defeat. Its second match was a loss to Spain by the same 5-0 score, leading to their elimination from the Group Stage alongside Costa Rica. Their final game, which was played against Costa Rica, ended with a 3-1 win to Zambia as they placed third within Group C on three points.
Summary of Zambia's Performance in Major Tournaments
The following table summarizes Zambia's performance in major tournaments mentioned in the article:
| Tournament | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifier | 1995 | Lost to South Africa 3-5 |
| COSAFA Cup | 2002 | Third Place |
| COSAFA Cup | 2006 | Lost in Semifinal |
| African Games Qualifying Tournament | 2007 | Withdrew |
| FIFA Women's World Cup | 2023 | Group Stage |
