Olympic preparations for Zambia Women’s National team well under way - Florence Mwila

Mwila adds that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) is already in contact with teams they will face to ready themselves for the global stage. The Copper Queens qualified for the Games after defeating Morocco in the final round of qualifiers.

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''In terms of the team we are supposed to play, the FA is in contact with different teams  we are supposed to play against, but yes there is a line of up of friendlies  that we need to play before we go to France, because we are suppose to be there 10 days before to acclimatise,'' said Mwila.

Zambia will be joined by Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – and both will be representing the African continent. Mwila says there is always pressure as a lot is expected.

''There's always pressure at that level because so much is expected from you as a team, so much is expected  from us from the continent and the country. There's so much pressure that comes with it but we just need to focus,'' added Mwila.

Zambia returns to the Olympic Games for the second time in a row after participating in the Tokyo 2020 edition. Most recently they were at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and have been exporting players abroad – the likes of the most expensive woman footballer in the world, Racheal Kundananji and the prolific Barbra Banda. Mwila says the mentality of the players has changed

Mwila was speaking on the sidelines of the COSAFA Technical Study Group symposium held recently in Johannesburg. She says after the two-day discussions and presentations, the region is on the right track as the gathering was worth it.