By Kalumiana Kalumiana
Barbra Banda says 2025 WAFCON is not about Barbra Banda the 2024 CAF and BBC Women’s Player award winner but about a collective team effort focused on African glory in Morocco.
Banda will captain Zambia at the 2025 WAFCON with the weight of expectations to go one better than the team’s 2022 bronze medal finish at the tournament also held in Morocco.
Speaking on Monday evening during CAF’s ongoing WAFCON Stars Spotlight webinar series, Banda said Zambia has reset its mindset and isn’t going to the tournament fueled on past glory whose highlights include two Olympics and a debut FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.
“I am not carrying any pressure of being the African Player of the Year. It motivates me to work hard, be determined and allow God to do the rest. I don’t have any pressure because, at my stage, I have played a lot of competitive games. I know how to handle pressure, and I will not carry that pressure here. I will do my best. I don’t compete with anyone but always want to do my best,” Banda said. “This will not be about me but the team. Football is a team sport, and I have all those records because of the support from the team. It all goes to my teammates, and I wish we keep up with the same spirit of having each other’s back and wanting to help one another. I can’t shine without my teammates. It’s about the team winning, not me getting accolades. We are a team and believe in one mission,” Banda said.
Banda has been an influential factor since busting on the scene in 2017 with over half a dozen of her Zambia teammates to propel the team from the top 100 fringes of the FIFA Women’s World ranking to a historic number 62 this year thanks to their exploits in Africa and international competitions.
The team currently sits at number 65 after the latest June rankings.
“We are a golden generation, and honestly, we have done all that it takes to qualify for a major tournament. We won’t rely on past glory because this is a different stage, and all the teams have improved. We aim to grab the title. It won’t be easy. It will take determination and hard work to achieve it. We are on the same page as a team and want to prove to the Zambian people that we are capable of doing that,” Banda said.
Zambia are in Group A at the 2025 WAFCON together with DR Congo, Senegal and hosts Morocco.
Nora Hauptle’s team will kick off their 2025 WAFCON campaign on July 5 in the tournament’s opening game against hosts and Group A opponents Morocco.
Senegal and DR Congo are the other Group A teams that Zambia will face on July 9 and July 12 respectively.
Meanwhile, the 13 home-based contingent of the Zambia team arrived in Morocco on Monday afternoon to begin early training camp in the WAFCON host nation.
The rest of the 11 foreign-based call-ups including Banda are expected to arrive in Morocco after concluding their respective club obligations.
