The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has announced that the United States based Zambia’s women football players will not travel to China for the Yangchuan International Tournament.
Travel to and from the US has become more difficult under the Trump administration with reports of detentions and visas being revoked for those entering the country.
In a media Statement released on 2nd April, 2025, FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga confirmed that Captain Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya and Grace Chanda, all of whom play for clubs in the US, won’t be traveling to China.
“I wish to confirm that the Orlando Pride trio of Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya as well as Rachael Kundananji of Bay FC will not be available for the two international friendly matches in China. After working through the process instigated by recently introduced measures it was decided that it is in the best interest of our players to skip this assignment,” he says.
“They will definitely be available for future assignments as they were for the last window when we played Malawi. The technical bench has since roped in replacements to ensure that the team remains competitive.
“It is our desire to give all our teams participating in international competitions the best preparations. The bigger picture is to ensure that the Copper Queens are ready for the WAFCON in July just like we have done for the under-17 boys currently in Morocco for the AFCON,” he said.
The Copper Queens will kick off their campaign at the 2025 Yangchuan International Tournament in China on April 5 against Thailand.
A win will secure them a spot in the final on April 8 against either hosts China PR or Uzbekistan.