Zambian Women's Football: How She-polopolo Are Riding The Crest Of Success

• Zambia were among the first nations to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

• Zambian women won the COSAFA women's championship, their first title in 20 years

• Zambia also qualified for Tokyo 2020 but lost by a record margin in their opener vs The Netherlands

Soumitra Bose Women's football has come a long way in Zambia. At a time when no girl played soccer in Africa, the Football Association of Zambia was among the first to introduce women's football in 1982. Today, the Zambian women's national football team, popularly called She-polopolo, are seeing some glorious times. Crowned winners of the Council of South African Football Associations (COSAFA) women's championship in September, Zambia have proven that they deserve to be in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. This was the first time in 20 years that Zambian women clinched the zonal championship. The COSAFA triumph against South Africa demonstrated the consistency Zambia have shown in the last two years. Coming at the back of their qualification in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and then more recently, the bronze-medal finish in the 2022 CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations, the win against Banyana Banyana was extra sweet. The title win at the Isaac Wolfson in Nelson Mandela Bay did not come easy for the Copper Queens. Zambia and South Africa were level 0-0 after regulation time and skipper Barbra Banda's goal in the dying minutes of extra time made the difference. With 10 goals each, Player of the tournament Bandra ended as joint top-scorer with teammate Racheal Nachula and Zimbabwe's Rutendo Makore. The COSAFA triumph, only the fourth by a south African nation, augurs well for Bruce Mwape's Zambia. It not only ended a trophy drought but has boosted Zambia's preparation for the FIFA women's World Cup next year Down Under. The times have generally been good for Zambian football with club side Green Buffaloes winning the 2022 COSAFA zonal qualifiers for the CAF Women's Champions League. The highlight of this campaign was the victory against South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, also the Champions League holders. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will obviously be the big one for Zambia. To be among the first teams to make the World Cup is an achievement in itself as Zambia is the first landlocked African nation, men or women, to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.

The Football Association of Zambia's investment in women's football is certainly showing. The She-polopolo are no more the whipping girls of African football. In the mid-Nineties, Zambia lost to South Africa and Zimbabwe by big margins. For long periods, Zambian women were out of the top 100 in world rankings. In March 2012, the Copper Queens were ranked as low as 126. But then the team arrested the decline, but only just. Zambia women continued their topsy-turvy run till they defeated Cameroon in the final round of the African qualifiers for Tokyo 2020. That win was a massive boost for the national women's team. Playing at the Olympics was a new feeling for the Zambian girls and although they suffered a 10-3 - a Games record- thrashing from the Netherlands, the urge to do well in global tournaments was quite evident. Ranked 80 in the world, Zambia and Morocco qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup for being winning quarterfinalists at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Zambia edged out Senegal 4-2 on penalties after it was 1-1 after extra-time at Casablanca. They finished third behind champions South Africa and runners-up Morocco. It was Zambia's best-ever result in the WAFCON!