A lot can happen to a football team in three years, as the Zambia Women's National Team will attest as they prepare to compete at the Paris Olympics, just a few years on from an infamous 10-3 drubbing in Tokyo.
The Copper Queens, featuring NWSL Golden Boot leader Barbra Banda , might shiver with both delight and despair as they remember the 2020/1 Olympics -- their first ever major international tournament -- as they broke records aplenty for better... and for worse.
Now, on the eve of their 2024 Olympic opener against the United States in Nice, and with some of the sport's most expensive players, like Bay FC 's Racheal Kundananji , in their ranks, the Copper Queens are set to prove why they continue to climb up the world rankings.
She-polopolo [the men's team is Chipolopolo, meaning copper bullets] head into the Games 64th in the FIFA World Rankings, a leap of 40 places in three years, and their highest-ever placement.
2020: 3-10, 4-4, 0-1
"The first Olympic qualification in 2020 was a learning experience," Zambian FA president Andrew Kamanga told ESPN, somewhat understating the She-polopolo's baptism of fire in Japan .
"We played against top teams such as Netherlands and Brazil , and didn't do well, but the experience was worth it."
Ranked 104th in the world before that tournament, their competition began with a 10-3 demolition at the hands of the Netherlands. Despite Banda's hat-trick, many felt that this rout would set the tone for an embarrassing campaign, as the Dutch established the all-time Olympic record for goals scored by one team in a single fixture.
China , then ranked 15th in the world, were up next, and while the southern Africans were again found wanting defensively, an inspired Banda netted another hat-trick to salvage a 4-4 draw against the former silver medallists.
By this point, Zambia were enjoying a burgeoning reputation for entertainment, as well as defensive inexperience, having participated in setting the record for the most goals scored (13) in single fixture in Olympic history, as well as the highest average goals scored per match by any country in the history of the sport at the Games.
Even though they didn't net in their final group game against Brazil -- a 1-0 defeat -- that record still stands, with no country having registered a higher average than the Queens' 2.33 goals scored per match across three fixtures.
"Overall, the team took the defeats in their stride and we performed well against Brazil," Kamanga resumed. "We also came away with some positives, including Banda's two hat-tricks."
Banda: Zambia's new superstar
Indeed, while Zambia broke records for defensive failure -- no side has ever conceded more goals on average per game in the Olympics -- they also broke records for offensive prowess .
Banda's six-goal haul across Zambia's opening fixtures is a greater return than any woman has managed across two matches in the tournament, while the then-21-year-old also became only the second player in Games history -- after Brazil's Cristiane -- to score two hat-tricks. No one else ever did it in the same tournament.
A star, certainly, was born, although the subsequent years have brought hardship and controversy for the striker, with hormone tests ruling her and three other Zambians out of the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations following testosterone levels that were outside the guidelines set by the Confederation of African football.
FAZ told ESPN at the time that their star attacker had been caught unawares by the CAF ruling, having earlier refused testosterone-suppression treatment.
Without her, however, Zambia's progress continued, as they reached the semifinal -- a first in their history -- and were defeated only by a 94th-minute winner from South Africa 's Linda Motlhalo .
Having only won one match in their previous tournament appearances, this was confirmation to the rest of the continent that Zambia, even without superstar Banda, were to be considered among Africa's contenders.
Growing with every tournament
"Experience is attained from participating," Kamanga continued. "From the 2020 Olympics, the team improved their mentality, attitude and team spirit, resulting in qualification for the 2023 World Cup for the first time."
Yet another 'first' for this squad, and ultimately yet another bruising experience, as Zambia shipped 10 goals in their opening fixtures (5-0 defeats by Japan and Spain ) as familiar defensive failings again emerged.
Nonetheless, as in Japan, there were positives to take, notably a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica that ensured -- as at the Olympics -- that Zambia avoided bottom spot in the group and departed with their heads held high.
"This was a milestone, and now we have back-to-back Olympics," Kamanga noted.
Reaching a second Olympics was not straight forward, not least following the February passing of 24-year-old striker Norin Betani , who fell ill while with the squad ahead of a qualifier against Ghana . Betani subsequently died in University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in the Zambian capital of Lusaka after receiving treatment for suspected malaria.
Familiar faces for NWSL supporters, inspirations back home
Gradually, the top talents in this Zambia side are being recognised among the finest in the game, with the eminence of some even surpassing the progress made by the national side.
It's a reality that US fans of the women's game will know only too well, with the top two most expensive transfers in the history of the sport currently both seeing stars of this Zambia team move to the States.
Banda herself swapped Shanghai Shengli for Orlando Pride in March 2024, with the NWSL side parting with $740,000 to sign the 2020 top scorer in the Chinese Women's Super League .
A month before, it had been the turn of Racheal Kundananji -- another of the players banned controversially from participating at the 2022 WAFCON -- who signed for Bay FC from Madrid CFF in a $862,000 deal.
"We played together for two years and I witnessed a lot," began Mexico -based midfielder Prisca Chilufya , with her Olympic roommate Kundananji singing in the background of her call with ESPN, "her hard work, and everything she's put in to be where she is now.
"It's everything she deserves, but it's nothing new for me. We've been together for a long time, friends for a long time. I know how determined she is, and she deserves it all."
While the likes of Malawi's Chawinga sisters, Nigeria superstar Asisat Oshoala or Thembi Kgatlana of Banyana Banyana have moved for sizeable fees, none have come close to matching the outlay paid for the Zambian pair.
"We congratulate the players for these individual accolades," added Kamanga, outlining why he believes the record fees accompanying Kundananji and Banda will help the national side.
"It means they're on top of the women's game and are playing against some of the world's best players. It gives our team an extra push knowing we have players competing at the highest levels, and they're the best ambassadors of the game, allowing our country to be known and easily recognised.
"It's important for other players to play in the US league, as they've opened the way. Our U-17 women's team has qualified for the World Cup in September, and some of the younger players are motivated to play abroad, to emulate those who have made it in the USA."
The increasing profile of Banda and Kundananji following their notable transfers represents a genuine point of pride for the Zambian sporting community, with the latter and her national teammate -- Grace Chanda of Orlando Pride -- the top two rated Zambian players on the latest addition of the EA Sports FC franchise, scoring higher than male stars Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala.
Chilufya agrees: "It's a good thing. We're very encouraged and happy to have some of the most expensive players.
"They've set a bar, and it's really encouraged a lot of the girls to work hard knowing that anything is possible. These players aren't new to major tournaments, so it'll be very helpful for the team to do better."
A vulnerable future?
While Kamanga attributes strategic investment, a grassroots-focus and shrewd local management as the key factors underpinning the growth of the women's sport in the country, he cautions that further progress may be limited without greater support from major brands.
"I'm happy that women's football his grown at a faster rate than the men's game, and it's heartening to see the Copper Queens fill up a 50,000-capacity stadium," he continued.
"They have national support. We've introduced more leagues at the national level and in the 10 regions, to have women's football being played in all parts of the country, but our immediate challenge is the lack of sponsorship for the various leagues as well as the Copper Queens.
"We expect corporate companies to come and help us grow the women's football brand."
Increasingly, Kamanga is making it a local priority for the Zambian Premier League management to find new revenue streams and sponsors for the local game to ensure the ongoing development in the sport.
"Our success has, in part, been through the commitment of the sponsors and managers of women's football from all parts if the country," he concluded.
"The government has started paying same bonuses to the women's team as for the men's team, and FIFA has also been supportive with the Forward programme which has been a game changer. We can clearly see the impact on growth of women's football.
"Our biggest risk is to sustain the success that we have scored with women's teams. This is why we have invested in the bottom-up approach and ensure the selection of players is done across all regions of the country, as was the case recently with the U-17s."
And so to 2024, amidst more chaos
In the short term, Kamanga will hope that the Olympic campaign offers yet another opportunity for Zambia to demonstrate their ongoing growth in the women's game in front of a global audience again, although his task has been complicated by the ongoing sexual misconduct investigation involving head coach Bruce Mwape.
The 64-year-old has been issued a visa to France and travelled with the team, but will not be allowed any private contact with the players amidst safeguarding measures introduced by FIFA.
Despite an ominous group stage draw -- Zambia meet the USA on Thursday before clashes against Australia and Germany -- Kamanga has revealed that the side's "minimum target" is a place in the knockouts.
Chilufya is setting her sights even higher: "The target is to do better than last time, because we did have a good run but this is something that we have to make sure we improve on this year.
"We want to get into the semifinals and then - once we're there - to get to the final."
In triumph and disaster, there's always been a bit of magic about this Zambia side, but that... surely...? would be a twist too far in the astonishing journey of this talented-yet-embattled squad.
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