Zambia women’s national team head coach Bruce Mwape has named his final 23-member squad for Friday’s Paris 2024 Olympic Women’s Football tournament third round, first leg qualifier against Ghana.
Mwape has retained more than half of his squad from the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifying campaign and added six Copper Queens players who have not been part of the setup in a long while.
They include returning former captain Kabange Mupopo, Green Eagles goalkeeper Loveness Tonge, defenders Natasha Kapombo, Martha Banda, Tabo Miselo, and ZESCO Ndola Girls midfielder Marjory Mulenga. The team led by captain Barbra Banda is expected to leave Lusaka for Accra on Tuesday afternoon. Israel-based duo of Catherine Musonda and Racheal Nachula as well as Turkey-domiciled Hellen Chanda and Misozi Zulu will fly directly to Ghana on Tuesday.
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The game against the Black Queens will be played at the Accra Sports Stadium at 19h00 and the return leg will follow five days later at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Zambia final squad; Goalkeeper; Catherine Musonda (Hapoel Raanana Women FC-Israel), Ngambo Musole (Green Buffaloes), Loveness Tonge (Green Eagles).
Defenders; Natasha Kapombo (INDENI Roses), Tabo Miselo (National Assembly), Martha Tembo (BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent-Kazakhstan), Lushomo Mweemba, Martha Katila Banda, Esther Banda, (all Green Buffaloes), Pauline Zulu (Elite Ladies), Judith Soko (YASA).
Midfielders; Misozi Zulu, Hellen Chanda (both Hakkarigucu Spur-Turkey), Ireen Lungu (BIIK Kazygurt Shymkent-Kazakhstan), Comfort Selemani (Elite Ladies), Evarine Susan Katongo (Green Buffaloes), Marjory Mulenga, Avell Chitundu (both ZESCO Ndola Girls).
Strikers; Rachael Kundananji (Bay FC-USA), Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli-China), Rachael Nachula (Hapoel Jerusalem-Israel), Fridah Kabwe (ZESCO Ndola Girls), Kabange Mupopo (Green Buffaloes).