This time was supposed to be different.
Zambia was now a force to be reckoned with in African football. This summer’s Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals would be their fifth consecutive major international tournament in as many years. Head coach Bruce Mwape was gone, after being investigated by FIFA for more than two years for sexual misconduct and assault. In was the Swiss Nora Häuptle, who had recently helped turn Ghana’s foundering program around.
Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji were now global stars, and in the wake of their exclusion from the 2022 WAFCON tournament for spurious “sex testing”, the Copper Queens’ high-flying attack would all be present and together, ready to improve on their miraculous third-place finish in Morocco three years ago.
