Zambia Women National Team midfielder Misozi Zulu believes now is time for the Copper Queens to shine at the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The Copper Queens date Cameroon in a Group B opener at 19h00CAT at the 45,000-seater Mohammed V stadium, and Zulu has been rallying her teammates to build up on the unity in camp for positive results.

“The team is very much ready and we are very confident that on Sunday, we shall deliver because everyone is working hard including the young players are putting in a lot of effort so I have no doubts. I will make sure that I put more effort for my team, for my country Zambia, they should continue believing me and on Sunday I will make sure that I perform,” Zulu said.

“We have to encourage each other, and we need to win on Sunday for our country because this is the time for us to shine, for us to be there and we don’t need to relax.”

The Turkey-based midfielder will be making her second appearance at Africa’s flagship women’s competition following her debut in 2014, and is confident the Copper Queens will be one of the four automatic nations to book their place at the 2022 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“I know that Cameroon will come with full force to beat Zambia, but even us won’t let them to beat us, we will make sure that we beat them again,” Zulu said.

We have to beat Cameroon first and think about Tunisia and Togo because we have never faced them before but we don’t have to relax, we have to beat them too.”

The 2022 TotalEnergies WAFCON kicks-off this evening with hosts Morocco entertaining Burkina Faso at 22h30CAT. The Tournament will run from 2-23 July 2022 in the cities of Rabat and Casablanca.