Chiamaka Nnadozie's signing for Brighton & Hove Albion has increased the number of players from the USA's NWSL and England's WSL at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations to 10. Eight NWSL stars and two WSL players are involved, representing Nigeria, Zambia, and Ghana. Asisat Oshoala and Barbra Banda are notable players, with Banda being recognized for her previous performances at the Tokyo Olympics. After being omitted from a previous squad, Banda's inclusion strengthens the Copper Queens' chances in the tournament.
Barbra Banda is a name that needs no introduction to even casual fans of women's football. Already widely reported to be one of the most expensive players in the game after signing for China's Shanghai Shengli in 2020, she still slipped under the radar of many fans initially.
She burst onto the scene the following year with back-to-back hat-tricks against the Netherlands and China at the Tokyo Olympics. By then, she was impossible to ignore, but she was controversially omitted from Zambia's squad for the last WAFCON.
Banda, it should be noted, played for Zambia at both of the last two Olympics and the FIFA Women's World Cup and is now in her second season with the Orlando Pride in the NWSL, after scoring the winning goal in last year's final.
At last, she graces Zambia's squad for this year's WAFCON. This, alone, makes the already impressive Copper Queens who clinched third place last time a signifi.
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