Zambia faces USWNT at the Olympics hoping to cause one of the great upsets

When the United States women’s national team steps on the pitch inside Stade de France in Nice on Thursday night to begin their Olympics campaign, they will be facing a team with the cards stacked against them.

While those in the NWSL will recognize 24-year-olds Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji — two Zambian internationals who have lit up the American league this year — this will be the first time both teams have faced each other on the international stage.

The stakes could not be higher for the U.S. This tournament could define the next three years under new manager Emma Hayes, who has been given the task of trying to return this team to its status as the dominant force globally.

But no challenge is as momentous as what Zambia has already endured in the lead-up to the Games.

This tournament marks a major milestone in Zambia’s development as a soccer nation. It will be their third consecutive major international competition, achieving that feat when they became the last women’s soccer team to qualify for the Olympics after defeating Morrocco 3-2 on aggregate in a two-leg playoff in April.

Yet, the team’s path towards Paris has been littered with missteps by those governing the sport in Zambia. Those missteps twice threatened their place at the Olympics.

In April, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) faced suspension by FIFA following what the global governing body described as “undue influence by third parties” in the Zambian association. This stemmed from Zambia’s High Court issuing an injunction preventing FAZ’s annual general meeting from taking place as scheduled, which came after FAZ president Andrew Kamanga and general secretary Reuben Kamanga were arrested and charged with money laundering.

The news rocked those who longed to see Banda, one of the NWSL’s top goalscorers, dazzle once again on the international stage. But the allegations came, and quietly went, and Zambia tiptoed towards its second Olympics, having appeared at the Tokyo Games in 2021. A social media post by FAZ on Tuesday showed a smiling Kamanga alongside Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president and arguably the most powerful man in world soccer, at a celebration in Paris where all presidents of member associations competing in the Olympics gathered.

More recently, Zambia’s preparations were disrupted when, according to The Guardian, head coach Bruce Mwape was denied a visa to enter the country. He has subsequently been allowed into France.

Mwape has been under investigation by FIFA after an allegation of sexual misconduct was made against him.

That’s only the latest in a string of allegations, which first surfaced last July. On the eve of the World Cup, The Guardian reported Mwape had been the subject of a previous FIFA-led investigation over allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. Per the report, FAZ said in September 2022 that it referred an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse to FIFA. Mwape has denied all allegations against him.

Last year during the Women’s World Cup, a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic: “As a general policy, the independent ethics committee does not comment on whether or not investigations are under way into alleged cases. As usual, any information the ethics committee may like to share will be communicated at their discretion.”

Neither FIFA, FAZ nor the International Olympic Committee responded to questions for this story as of Wednesday.

Zambia went on to exit the World Cup in the group stage, after losses to Japan and Spain, both 5-0, and one glorious win against Costa Rica (3-1). The Copper Queens netted their first World Cup victory, a result that brought the team to their knees and made them hopeful for future competitions.

Racheal Kundananji celebrates after Zambia beat Costa Rica at the 2023 World Cup (Fiona Goodall – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

It wasn’t long before two of Zambia’s brightest stars found their way to the NWSL.

In February, Bay FC signed forward Kundananji from Madrid CFF for a world-record fee of about $785,000 (£609,000, €735,000). The following month, fellow forward Banda was signed by the Orlando Pride, which now sits at the top of the NWSL table. That is in large part thanks to Banda’s goalscoring ability. A third Zambian international, 27-year-old Grace Chanda, is set to join Banda in Orlando following the Olympics. Orlando signed the midfielder in May through to 2025.

Since joining the NWSL, Banda and Kundananji have elevated Zambia’s profile to an American audience. But they are also two members of Zambia’s powerful front line that will try to foil the U.S. on Thursday.

While expectations look different for Zambia than they do for the U.S. women’s team, a major upset is not out of the question. While the U.S. strives for gold, success for Zambia could include victories on the Olympic stage and advancing out of the group for the first time in a major international tournament.

(Top photo: Jan Kruger — FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)