Zambia players and technical bench will each receive US$7,100 {about K131,000} from the Government as a reward for their efforts on top of the US$30,000 {about K555,000} the players will receive from FIFA for existing at the group stage.

The Copper Queens failed to make it past the group stage of the tournament after losing their opening Group C matches – 5-0 against Japan and 5-0 against Spain. However, they recovered to write history by defeating Costa Rica 3-1 in their final dead rubber fixture while defender Lushomo Mweemba became the first Zambian player to score at a senior World Cup football tournament.

To add to Mweemba’s success, captain Barbra Banda scored the 1,000th goal of the coveted FIFA Women’s World Cup, earning her the opportunity to sign the match ball, as well as have the jersey she wore displayed in the FIFA Museum.

Meanwhile, Zambia coach Bruce Mwape is already looking at the future after his team’s premature exit from the tournament. Mwape says the team will have to work on their approach going forward and the possibility of new players who can handle the pressure of the World Cup.

“Going into the second tournament, we are looking at the structure of our team, and the mistakes that were made by a few individuals can help us identify or look for other players who can manage the pressure that we went through, especially in the first two games,” said Mwape,” adding: “Some of the players showed that they could not withstand the pressure from teams like Spain and Japan.

“I am sure by the time we will be coming back to the World Cup, we should come with a polished team and a different approach.”