Zambia earn historic ticket to Tokyo 2020
- Zambia drew 4-4 with Cameroon and went through on away goals to book Tokyo 2020 ticket
- The Copper Queens are headed to their first-ever Women’s Olympic Football Tournament
- Cameroon will still have a chance to qualify via an intercontinental play-off with Chile
Zambia will be representing Africa at the Women’s Olympic Football Tokyo 2020 for the first time after drawing 4-4 with Cameroon in the fifth and final round of the continent’s qualifiers and advancing on the away goals rule.
Grace Chanda’s brace for the Copper Queens in the first leg in Yaounde proved to be decisive as they clinched the only direct qualification ticket for CAF to Tokyo 2020.
The result represents a watershed moment for Zambian women’s football (106), who are ranked 57 places below Cameroon (49) in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking.
Despite the defeat, Cameroon still have a chance to qualify for Tokyo 2020. The Indomitable Lionesses will now face Chile in an intercontinental play-off for one last shot at winning a ticket to the Olympics. Cameroon will host the first leg on 9 April, while Chile will host the return leg on 15 April.
With the support of the their fans at the Nkoloma Staddium in Lusaka in the second leg, Zambia got out in a two-goal lead over Cameroon by half-time thanks to Mary Mwakapila’s early opener and Hellen Mubanga’s goal right before the break. Cameroon did not go out without a fight as Ajara Nchout managed to score an injury-time goal but it was not enough for her side to win the direct ticket to Tokyo 2020, and it was Zambia who were the ones making history.
