Zambia Releases New National Team Kits In Time for Women’s World Cup

Zambia’s national football teams are ready to take on the world in style with new kits released this week.

The Football Association of Zambia unveiled the kits on Thursday, June 15, just as the women’s national team headed into a training camp in Germany ahead of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The kits are manufactures by KoPa, the in-house brand that is wholly owned by the FAZ. KoPa was established in 2018 after the FAZ cancelled a contract with Singapore-based manufacturer Mafro Sports for failing to meet its contractual obligations, according to the Lusaka Times. Prior to that, Zambian teams had been outfitted by Nike.

“The KoPa brand that was founded five years ago is a true testimony that local brands can grow if well supported,” FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said on the federation’s Twitter account.

The home kit is orange with a series of diagonal lines running up the left side of the shirt, ending just below the national team crest. The V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs are black. It’s paired with black shorts and white socks; the shorts have orange piping down the sides.

The away kit is white with a tonal eagle pattern on the front. The V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs are green. The shorts that go with it are white with green piping down the sides, while the socks are white with a green KoPa logo on the front.

The third kit is green, with the diagonal lines on the left side of the shirt alternating between red, black and orange to mirror the Zambian flag. The collar and sleeve cuffs are also green, making this the only one of the three kits where they don’t contrast with the rest of the shirt. The shorts that go with it are green with orange piping down the sides. No photos of the socks in this combination were posted on Thursday.

The FAZ also released two goalkeeper kits on Thursday. One is light blue and one is pink, and both feature embossed diagonal stripes down the front. The shorts and socks for each set match their respective shirts.

The Zambian men’s team will debut the new kits on Saturday when they face Ivory Coast in an African Cup of Nations qualifier at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, Zambia.

This summer’s Women’s World Cup is the first one Zambia has qualified for in its history. The Copper Queens will play in Group C along with Spain, Costa Rica and Japan. Their first match will be against Japan on July 22 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand.