Copper Queens striker Rachael Kundananji has joined United States of America outfit Bay FC which campaigns in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL.
Kundananji joins Bay FC from CFF Madrid in Spain where she had been from August 2022.
The club has announced that the 2023 FIFA Women World Cup star has signed up with them up to 2027 with the option of an extension.
“We are delighted to add Racheal to our group,” said Bay FC General Manager Lucy Rushton. “She is a tremendous talent with dynamic attacking qualities and an incredible physical profile who has produced for both club and country. Racheal has a composure in-front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations. We believe she will continue to grow and develop at our club, showcasing her skillset and adding to the array of exciting attacking talent we have here.”
In Aug. 2022, Kundananji signed with Madrid CFF, scoring 25 goals during her first season with the club in the 2022-23 campaign. Her 25 goals ranked second-most in the league as she helped Madrid to a fifth-place finish. During the 2023-24 season, Kundananji appeared in 14 matches, recording eight goals and four assists. Prior to her arrival at Madrid, she was with SD Eibar in Spain, where she tallied eight goals in 21 appearances.”
Before making the move to Europe, Kundananji signed her first professional contract abroad with BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan at the age of 18. She helped the team win back-to-back league championships in 2019 and 2020. In 2018, Kundananji played for Ideni Roses of Zambia’s Copperbelt Women’s League, scoring 21 goals in 18 games as the team won the league title.
At the international level, Kundananji represented Zambia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. It marked her first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She scored her first career World Cup goal in a 3-1 win over Costa Rica in the group stage of the 2023 tournament. Notably, she tallied a brace in her international debut at the 2018 Women’s African Cup of Nations.
She joins reigning CAF Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala on the books of Bay FC.
