The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) remains optimistic that Copper Queens captain Barbra Banda will be fit in time for the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), despite the striker’s recent injury setback.
Banda has been sidelined since sustaining an injury while playing for Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), raising concerns over her availability for Zambia’s continental campaign.
However, FAZ believes the inspirational captain is on course to recover in time for the tournament in Morocco.
Injury Forced Banda Out
The 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year suffered the injury on 30 May during Orlando Pride’s 3-1 victory over Bay FC, the club of fellow Copper Queens star Rachael Kundananji.
Despite scoring twice in the match, Banda picked up an injury that ruled her out of action before the NWSL paused for the FIFA international window.
She later joined the Copper Queens camp but did not feature in the Four Nations Tournament held in Ndola as she continued her rehabilitation.
The injury also forced her to miss Orlando Pride’s return to league action following the international break.
Major Boost for Zambia
Barbra Banda’s expected return would provide a huge boost for the Copper Queens, who are targeting another deep run at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
As captain and the team’s leading attacking threat, Banda remains one of Africa’s most influential players and will be central to Zambia’s ambitions of winning their first continental title.
The Copper Queens have been drawn in a challenging group alongside Nigeria, Egypt and Malawi, with the tournament also serving as qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Copper Queens Continue Preparations
Meanwhile, Zambia continues preparations for WAFCON with a training camp before travelling to Algeria for two international friendly matches as head coach Nora Häuptle fine-tunes her squad.
The Copper Queens will be hoping to build on their historic bronze-medal finish in 2022 and secure one of the four World Cup qualification spots on offer.
Conclusion
While Barbra Banda’s injury initially caused concern among Zambian football fans, FAZ’s positive update offers renewed optimism ahead of WAFCON 2026.
If the Orlando Pride forward completes her recovery as expected, Zambia will head to Morocco with one of Africa’s most dangerous attacking players leading the charge.
