Copper Queens’ captain Barbra Banda has been nominated for the 2024 FIFA Best Player Award. The BBC Women’s player of the year and NWSL Championship MVP is among the 16 players nominated for the prestigious award. Banda and Malawi forward Tabitha Chawinga are the only two Africans nominated for the award. She will face competition from favorite Aitana Bonmati, USA contingent of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith. Barcelona ace Salma Paralluelo , Lucy Bronze, Khadija Bunny Shaw and Kera Walsh are also nominated for the prestigious award. The Zambia Women’s National Team captain is also among the 22 attackers available for selection for the FIFA Best Women’s 11. Fans can vote for the FIFA Best 11 on the FIFA website. New FIFA Marta Award added to specifically celebrate the best goal scored in women’s football. Voting is now open on FIFA.com across a number of award categories, with fans set to play a key role in choosing the winners. Voting for The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper will be equally weighted between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s/men’s national teams, and media representatives. The winner of the FIFA Fan Award will be chosen entirely by fans, while the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award will be decided by an expert panel. Voting for the new FIFA Marta Award and the FIFA Puskás Award will be split equally between fans and a panel of FIFA Legends. The biggest change in terms of voting for this year’s edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards is that fans will have their say in selecting The Best FIFA Men’s 11 and The Best FIFA Women’s 11. They will be able to choose from a list of 77 nominated players – 22 defenders, midfielders and forwards apiece, plus 11 goalkeepers – slotting them into one of several preset tactical formations to build their team. Votes will be weighted equally between fans and an expert panel. Voting is open on FIFA.com until 23:59 CET on Tuesday, 10 December 2024. The rules of allocation for all awards are available at the FIFA Digital Hub. The Best FIFA Women’s Player nominees Aitana Bonmatí (Spain), Barcelona Barbra Banda (Zambia), Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway), Barcelona Keira Walsh (England), Barcelona Khadija Shaw (Jamaica), Manchester City Lauren Hemp (England), Manchester City Lindsey Horan (USA), Olympique Lyonnais Lucy Bronze (England), Barcelona/Chelsea Mallory Swanson (USA), Chicago Red Stars Mariona Caldentey (Spain), Barcelona/Arsenal Naomi Girma (USA), San Diego Wave Ona Batlle (Spain), Barcelona Salma Paralluelo (Spain), Barcelona Sophia Smith (USA), Portland Thorns Tabitha Chawinga (Malawi), Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais Trinity Rodman (USA), Washington Spirit The Best FIFA Men’s Player nominees Dani Carvajal (Spain), Real Madrid Erling Haaland (Norway), Manchester City Federico Valverde (Uruguay), Real Madrid Florian Wirtz (Germany), Bayer Leverkusen Jude Bellingham (England), Real Madrid Kylian Mbappé (France), Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid Lamine Yamal (Spain), Barcelona Lionel Messi (Argentina), Inter Miami Rodri (Spain), Manchester City Toni Kroos (Germany), Real Madrid (now retired) Vinícius Jr (Brazil), Real Madrid The Best FIFA Women’s Coach nominees Arthur Elias (Brazil), Brazil Elena Sadiku (Sweden), Celtic Emma Hayes (England), Chelsea/USA Futoshi Ikeda (Japan), Japan Gareth Taylor (England), Manchester City Jonatan Giráldez (Spain), Barcelona/Washington Spirit Sandrine Soubeyrand (France), Paris FC Sonia Bompastor (France), Olympique Lyonnais/Chelsea The Best FIFA Men’s Coach nominees Carlo Ancelotti (Italy), Real Madrid Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Argentina Luis de la Fuente (Spain), Spain Pep Guardiola (Spain), Manchester City Xabi Alonso (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper nominees Alyssa Naeher (USA), Chicago Red Stars Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham Ayaka Yamashita (Japan), INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City Cata Coll (Spain), Barcelona Mary Earps (England), Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper nominees Andriy Lunin (Ukraine), Real Madrid David Raya (Spain), Arsenal Ederson (Brazil), Manchester City Emiliano Martínez (Argentina), Aston Villa Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain Mike Maignan (France), AC Milan Unai Simón (Spain), Athletic Club The Best FIFA Women’s 11 nominees The Best FIFA Men’s 11 nominees FIFA Marta Award nominees FIFA Puskás Award FIFA Fan Award nominees
Zambia and tournament debutants Sierra Leone played out a 0-0 draw in the opening match of Group A at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025. In a closely contested affair at the Suez Canal Stadium on Sunday, both sides struggled to convert their chances in a match full of energy but lacking the clinical finishing needed to claim maximum points. Zambia, winners of the 2017 edition, dominated possession for large spells but were repeatedly frustrated by a resilient Sierra Leone defence. Joseph Sabobo was the most lively for the Young Chipolopolo, forcing several saves from Sierra Leone goalkeeper Samba Bah, but could not find the breakthrough. Sierra Leone, making their maiden appearance at this level, showed no signs of nerves and created opportunities of their own. Samba Bah and Nathaniel Jalloh were a constant threat going forward, while Alpha Turay came close with a header early in the first half. In the second period, both sides grew increasingly desperate to find a winner. Zambia thought they had won it late on, with Emmanuel Mutale and David Simukonda going close, but neither could find the target. Sierra Leone also came agonisingly close as Samba Bah saw a header saved at the death. Despite pushing forward in the final minutes, neither side was able to find the crucial breakthrough. The result leaves Group A finely poised ahead of the evening’s second match between hosts Egypt and South Africa at Cairo International Stadium. Zambia will take positives from the number of chances created but will rue their wastefulness in front of goal. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, can take great pride from their battling performance on their tournament debut and will hope to build on this solid start. Both teams will now look to their next fixtures with a clearer idea of what it will take to progress to the quarter-finals in a tournament where the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage. By CAF Media
Zambia U20 National Team head coach Boyd Mulwanda has described the team’s opening day draw against Sierra Leone at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 as a tough match. Mulwanda believes the result was a fair result for the Junior Chipolopolo as they did not lose which would have been worse. Young Chipolopolo and debutants Sierra Leone played to a goalless draw in a closely contested affair at the Suez Canal Stadium on Sunday. “I think today’s game was not easy for us, It was a tough game. Sierra Leone prepared well, Looking at the way they were playing, it was not easy for our boys. Going forward we will prepare the boys well and psych them so that they know what they are expecting in the next match,” he said. “We are playing Egypt next, it won’t be easy. Looking at the result , I think 0-0 is fair for us. We had chances but we could not convert.” “It’s a fair result for us, not losing , a point is good for us,” he added. Mulwanda singled out his midfield as the part of the puzzle that did not work and that’s why he made changes to stabilize the team. Mulwanda says he was not expecting a draw as he planned for a win but plans to work on his strike force ahead of the match against the hosts, Egypt. “I think it’s in the park of the midfield, our boys did not come to the party, David and Perkins (Mumba Mwale) were not themselves, that’s why we made some changes, removed Perkins and brought in Chilimina and I think that’s were we had to get stability in the game and I think going forward we going to talk to the boys to up their game,” he said. “No, we never expected to get a draw, we thought we were going to win this game, but football being what it is, at times you plan to win but don’t get the result. What’s most important is that we did not lose, got a draw and we are going to build on this one.” “We had a chance to win the game, but we couldn’t score that’s part of the game. You may create chances but you don’t score. What’s important is that we told the boys that if we don’t score, even us we should not concede and that’s what happened. We are going to work on our strike force so that when we have chances we get the goals we need to progress in the tournament,” he added. The former Buildcon coach is however still confident of Zambia’s chances of qualification to the next round. “The chances of qualification are still bright. This is just the first game. We have something to build on, we have a point which is good, unlike if we had lost it was going to give us pressure. Going to the next game, I think we are going to work and see how best we can prepare the boys to get a win,” he said. “We are going to talk to the boys, analyze the game and see how best we are going to play against Egypt.” Beyond continental glory, the four semi-finalists will book their tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
ZESCO United saw off Nkana 1-0 to book a place in the final of the 2025 ABSA Cup, their eighth final appearance in the competition, a record. Peter Musukuma scored the only goal in the 53rd minute with a powerful low drive inside the box. Musukuma’s second goal of the 2025 campaign was enough to send the Ndola based outfit to the final where they will face defending Champions, Red Arrows. ZESCO will be aiming for a seventh title to extend their impressive record in this competition. Red Arrows on the other hand are aiming to make it 3 and move to second place overall on most titles won in the prestigious Competition. The winners of this year’s edition will walk away with K1,000,000 winners’ prize money. Runners-up will receive K400,000 and there is also a travel subsidy of K50,000 to all teams. ABSA Cup Quarter Finals Fixtures Saturday, May 10th, 2025 15h00 Red Arrows vs ZESCO United| Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola Prize Money : Breakdown 🏆 Winning Team – K1,000,000 🥈 Runners-up – K400,000 ⭐ Player of the Tournament – K25,000 ⚽ Golden Boot (Top Scorer) – K25,000 🧤 Golden Glove (Best Goalkeeper) – K25,000 💰 QF, Semi-Final, Final Man of the Match – K15,000 Travel Subsidy – K30,000 – K50,000 (depending on distance)
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