Japan courts Zambia for women’s international friendly date

Former FIFA Women’s World Cup champions Japan are courting Zambia for a pre-World Cup friendly match.

The proposed friendly comes in the wake of Zambia’s debut qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup that will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20-August 20, 2023.

Zambia coach Bruce Mwape on the sidelines of the ongoing 2022 COSAFA Women’s Cup, indicated that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) was in talks with three unnamed nations over prospective friendlies.

And a source familiar with the development told FARPost that 2011 champions Japan were in pole position to play the FIFA Women’s World Cup debutants.

“Teams have been aggressively courting FAZ for friendlies, and one of them is Japan,” the source told FARPost.

“Japan would like to host the team, but everything right now is still at preliminary level.”

The source said FAZ has also received overtures from a North and Central America CONCACAF Zone team and another Asian nation qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Zambia qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup after finishing third at the 2022 Women’s AFCON in Morocco in July.

Mwape’s side is one of four African representatives heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup together with Nigeria, Morocco and WAFCON champions South Africa.

WAFCON quarterfinalists Senegal and Cameroon are battling to join them via an intercontinental playoff qualifier tournament to be hosted by New  Zealand next  February.

Zambia, who advanced to the WAFCON knockout round for the first time, capped their Morocco campaign with a third place finish after beating 11-time African champions Nigeria 1-0 to clinch Bronze.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup draw will be held on October 22 in Auckland, New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, Zambia has qualified for the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Cup semifinals, where they are gunning for a debut regional title triumph after finishing second in 2019.

Zambia awaits the winner of Wednesday’s final Group C top-two clash between Malawi and defending COSAFA champions Tanzania for a semifinal rendezvous on September 9.

Hosts South Africa will face Group B runners-up Namibia in the other semifinal.

Namibia advanced to the semifinals as the COSAFA Women’s Cup best group stage second-placed side.