The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has announced that the United States-based quartet of the Zambia Women’s National Team will not be traveling to China for the Yangchuan International Tournament.
FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga confirmed that captain Barbra Banda, Rachael Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya, and Grace Chanda will be unavailable due to additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States.
Kamanga stated that after consultations with key offices, including the United States Zambian mission in Washington and the players’ respective clubs, it was deemed best to withdraw the players from the China assignment.
“I wish to confirm that the Orlando Pride trio of Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya, as well as Rachael Kundananji of Bay FC, will not be available for the two international friendly matches in China. After working through the process instigated by recently introduced measures, it was decided that it is in the best interest of our players to skip this assignment,” Kamanga said.
He assured that the four players would be available for future assignments, as they were during the previous window when Zambia played Malawi. The technical bench has since called up replacements to maintain the team’s competitiveness.
“It is our desire to give all our teams participating in international competitions the best preparations. The bigger picture is to ensure that the Copper Queens are ready for the WAFCON in July, just like we have done for the Under-17 boys currently in Morocco for the AFCON,” Kamanga added.
The Copper Queens will commence their campaign at the 2025 Yangchuan International Tournament in China on April 5 against Thailand. A victory will see them advance to the final on April 8, where they will face either hosts China PR or Uzbekistan.