Zambia U17 Women’s National Team captain Ruth Mukoma says the team wants to win the COSAFA U17 Girls Championship that is currently underway in Namibia. Mukoma says even though the opponents are playing well the team will rise to the occasion and reach the final. Zambia faces Zimbabwe on Friday at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia for a place in the final of the regional showpiece. “We have reached the semifinals, but we won’t stop here — we want to win the cup. Even though our opponents are playing well, we will also rise to the occasion. Despite not performing very well in the previous match, we’re working on the areas where we fell short, and we’re confident we’ll play better in the next game,” she said. “We’re facing Zimbabwe next, and it’s going to be a tough match. They won 12-0 in their last game, and we won 9-0. So, it will come down to strength and determination. The stronger team will reach the final — and we intend to be that team, because we want to win and make it to the final. That’s where we’ll truly see if we can lift the cup,” she added. In the last game against Mauritius, Zambia wasted a lot of chances which Mukoma says they have worked in and only players in good position will shoot at goal against Zimbabwe. “In our last game, everyone wanted to score, but we missed a lot of chances. In the next match, we want to make sure that only players in good positions take the shots — not just anyone, especially when tightly marked,” Mukoma said. “Our defenders are okay, but the strength of our team is that everyone can attack. Everyone has the ability to score. So even when the strikers don’t score, the defenders can step up. That’s why I believe our team is in good shape.” The Copper Princesses will square off with Zimbabwe at the Hage Geingob stadium with kick off set for 12h00, and the match will be live on FIFA+.
At the beginning of the season, no one had fancied Titus Chansa to win the Golden Boot but the striker defied odds. Chansa netted 13 goals to finish as MTN Super League joint scorer with Nkana’s Idris Mbombo. Chansa was winning the accolade for the first time while for Mbombo, it was the second having bagged it in 2018. Chansa started the season with Mutondo Stars before joining champions Power Dynamos during the January transfer window on a one year loan. He had already netted nine times for Mutondo in the first round when he was trekking to title-chasers Power. The four goals in Power colours in the second round were enough for him to etch his name in history books and help the Kitwe side win the title. The Zambia international is over the moon after a stellar season. “It feels good and it has motivated me to work extra hard in the coming seasons,” Chansa said. Asked if the move to Power prevented him from scoring more than the four he managed, Chansa attributed the low scoring rate to injury. “It only affected me the time I had an injury which led to not playing nine games plus.” Chansa said he faced healthy competition from other strikers in the race for the golden boot. “The competition was there in every game we had knowing that I was in the race for the Golden boot with players who have been in competition already…but it kept me motivated to challenge them despite having not won it before,” he said. With his loan deal expiring in December, Chansa has big ambitions. “My goals for next season is to maintain the same hard work especially scoring more goals, helping the team achieve in winning the Super League also to be part of the Zambia National Soccer Team.
Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle has named her final 24-member squad for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2025. Häuptle has included teenage sensation Mercy Chipasula and Mapalo Maluba into her final team. China based striker Fridah Mukoma has also made the cut. The former Black Queens coach has named three goalkeepers in the squad with Catherine Musonda expected to be the first choice. Despite struggling for game time since Häuptle took over, defender Martha Tembo has also made the team. Vice Captain Grace Chanda returns to the side after missing the Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand through illness. Chanda has been joined by her Orlando Pride teammates Prisca Chilufya and Barbra Banda. Bay FC foward Racheal Kundananji wraps up the squad. Zambia is in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Senegal and neighbours DR Congo. The Copper Queens will face Morocco in the opening fixture on July 5.
MTN Super League newcomers Konkola Blades have reached an agreement with ZPL National League side Riverplate to sign duo of striker Golden Zansi and defensive midfielder Benjamin Saile, the ZamFoot Crew can exclusively reveal. The two clubs reached an agreement in the last 72 hours with the duo set to complete their move to the Chilabombwe based outfit. The ZamFoot Crew understands that personal terms are currently being finalized to allow the two players to move to Blades. Zansi who joined RiverPlate FC in 2022 won the FAZ Southern Province Division One League back to back and helped Riverplate qualify for the national League. During his first season, Zansi scored only one goal during the National League playoffs against Mwaimwena Strikers. In the 2023/2024 season, he scored 17 goals in the FAZ Southern Province Division One League despite missing 14 league games in the second round due to an injury. During the 2024/2025 season, he was joint top scorer in the ZPL National League with 10 goals. He also contributed 5 Assists. Golden Zansi’s RiverPlate Career: 30 goals for River Plate; 17 in the FAZ Southern Province Division One, 3 National League Playoffs (1 in 2023 and 2 in 2024), 10 ZPL National League goals. Saeli on the other hand has played 2 seasons for River Plate featuring as a defensive midfielder. His first season was the 2023/2024 season and helped the team win the FAZ Southern Province Division One League, and also qualified for the ZPL National League via playoffs. He scored only one goal in a week 22 match against Kitwe United in Kitwe. He made 5 assists in the season. Blades are seriously looking to reinforce their squad ahead of the 2025/2026 MTN Super League season.