FOR a country with precious little women’s footballing history or pedigree plus an obscure international record until about nine years ago, the Copper Queens enter the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as one of the most intriguing debutants at the tournament. The Bruce Mwape-tutored side is the first landlocked African nation to qualify for either the men’s or women’s FIFA World Cup. And they did so in style, beating three-time defending African champions Nigeria in a WAFCON third-place playoff, after sneaking past Senegal in a hard-fought quarterfinal. The Shepolopolo also finishing top of their group in the preliminary stages. Their debut WAFCON top-three finish came on the heels of a pair of controversial decisions in the semifinals that saw them...