Barbra Banda said she has been learning from Brazil legend Marta as she prepares to captain Zambia at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which begins July 26 and carries a FIFA World Cup berth for the top finishers. Banda made the remarks during a CAF media availability, saying the lessons learned at club level should help Zambia advance at WAFCON.
Banda described regular conversations with Marta and called the veteran forward ‘the GOAT,’ saying the opportunity to share a dressing room has transformed aspects of her play. The pair have combined into one of the NWSL’s most dangerous attacking partnerships since Banda arrived from Shanghai Shengli in 2024 in a transfer that was then the second-highest fee in women’s football.
Together they helped Orlando Pride secure the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record and the club’s first NWSL Championship, a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit. Banda scored the title-winning goal, was named championship MVP and joined Marta on the league’s Best XI.
The Brazilian forward’s résumé was cited in Banda’s comments: Marta remains a six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 115 goals and holds the record for most goals at FIFA World Cups, with 17. Banda said she grew up idolizing Marta and that the veteran’s weekly guidance provides motivation and concrete examples to emulate.
Banda also emphasized the competitive standard of the NWSL, saying players must raise their level every game and cannot relax when facing top opponents such as Marta, Trinity Rodman and Temwa Chawinga. After an injury-interrupted 2025 campaign, Banda returned to lead the NWSL scoring chart with 12 goals, three more than second-placed Temwa Chawinga.
Her 2024 form earned Banda both the CAF Women’s Player of the Year and the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year awards. She said WAFCON is the starting point for Zambia’s World Cup ambitions and that qualifying would require proper preparation; she added that watching African men’s teams at the recent FIFA World Cup provided further motivation for the women’s side to compete on the global stage.
