Zambia Women’s National Team assistant coach Florence Mwila says the team wants to retain the COSAFA Women’s Championship title, which they won in 2022 and also unearth new talents.
An all-local-based Copper Queens squad left for Gqeberha on Wednesday for the 2024 edition, which began on Tuesday.
The Copper Queens are in Group C with Angola, and the Comoros will face Angola tomorrow at 12:00 CAT.
Mwila, who will serve as head coach, says the team is prepared and looking forward to unearthing new talents.
“Target number one, and our objective for this outing is that we are identifying players that will be in the senior women’s national team,” Mwila emphasized. “But then we can’t leave the fact that we would have our eyes on the crown. So, we’ve really prepared ourselves to reach that far in the tournament.”
Mwila added that “90% of the team, we have new players that are going to play at an international stage for the first time. So, there’s that excitement. They are ready.
“They are ready to perform. The training has been okay. Everybody is prepared, and, from the training that we’ve given them, they will deliver.”
Belemu to Captain Copper Queens
Meanwhile, Margaret Belemu, who will captain the team, has revealed that they expect a tough tournament, particularly against Angola, whom they thrashed during the Africa Cup qualifiers.
“People should expect a very good game from us as Copper Queens. And as a team, we’re expecting a very tough one because Angola has got a good side and they are coming out; they are coming for us tough because of the qualifiers that we had with them last year. We knocked them out of the qualifiers, so it won’t be easy,” she said.
Belemu returns to the squad after missing out on the 2024 Paris Olympics following her graduation from Zambia Air Force military training.
The Copper Queens were semifinalists in the previous seven editions before winning the championship in 2022.
They will seek redemption after losing the title to Malawi last year.
READ MORE: ‘The absence of Chawinga sisters will not affect us, we have plan B’ – Malawi coach Fazili
