Shepolopolo Zambia are going to camp in Europe for a month ahead of the 2022 Women’s AFCON campaign in July while Chipolopolo are set to face Bafana-Bafana South Africa next month in a friendly in France.
Shepolopolo has just qualified for their second successive WAFCON after eliminating Namibia on away goals rule after their final round tie ended 1-1 on aggregate following a draw by the same score line on February 22 away in Johannesburg.
The 2022 WAFCON will be held in Morocco from July 2-23.
“We have three months in which to prepare the team and it remains our conviction that if we are going to have any success at the tournament,” FAZ President Andrew Kamanga said when he received Shepolopolo on Wednesday at KK International Airport in Lusaka from South Africa.
“We need to prepare the team adequately which we have always done in the past.
“Already we are looking to camp the team in Europe for one month so that we are able to compete and not going there to make up the numbers. Our target this time is to finish in the top four and hopefully, we can go to the World Cup.”
Shepolopolo has made two group stage exits in as many tournament appearances.
Meanwhile, FAZ has disclosed the date of March’s friendly against South Africa while negotiations for a second friendly against a yet to be named opponent during next month’s FIFA Window are still ongoing.
“Already in March, we have a FIFA window and we have arranged two friendlies. We are playing South Africa in France on the 25th and the second game on the 29th,” Kamanga said.
“This is where we need that level of support and help. We cannot do it on our own. We always invest in friendlies and the result could be better if we had more additional support.”
New Chipolopolo coach Aljosa Asanovic is using the friendlies as warm-up ahead of June’s Cote d’Ivoire 2023 AFCON qualifier.
