KAMANGA TOASTS COPPER QUEENS OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION

Press Statement
(For Immediate Release)
Football Association of Zambia
Football House, Lusaka
10th April 2024

KAMANGA CONGRATULATES COPPER QUEENS FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION

The Football Association of Zambia has congratulated the Copper Queens for having qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after beating Morocco 3-2 on aggregate in the final qualifying round.

FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says the back-to-back Olympic qualification is a culmination of his executive’s long term project to develop the women’s game.

Zambia joins 12 other teams at the Paris 2024 Olympics and will be in Group B alongside USA, Germany and Australia.

Kamanga hailed the never die spirit of the Copper Queens that overcame a 2-1 first leg deficit to win 2-0 away and punch their Olympic ticket.

“On behalf of my executive committee and the entire football family, I wish to congratulate the Zambia Women National Team for having qualified to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The qualification comes on the back of the team’s debut appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which puts them in a special place,” Kamanga says.
“We have invested heavily in the growth of women’s football in the last six years which has seen them qualify for three Africa Cup of Nations (2018, 2022 and 2024), qualify for the first ever world cup (Australia/New Zealand 2023) and even won bronze at the 2022 WAFCON,” he says.

“These results help reinvigorate our resolve to invest more in the grassroots football. We have channeled the same level of support to the women’s game as the men’s which has triggered the great success we are witnessing today.”
Kamanga says FAZ will make sure that the team is adequately prepared for the Olympics that kick off in July.

“As always, we will stick to our well established routine of organizing quality preparations for our team ahead of the tournament. For now we will allow the team to suck in the moment before we get down to work again,” he says.
Zambia will join Nigeria as the only two African envoys at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

For and on behalf of:
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA
Sydney Mungala
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER