Zambia's international footballers face a gap of several weeks in NWSL competition, the result of a 21-day re-entry restriction tied to their participation in a recent match held in Uganda. On 8 October, the two nations met on Ugandan soil for the opening leg of Africa's Olympic qualifying series ahead of the 2028 Games.
A 21-day travel restriction on non-U.S. nationals arriving from Uganda remains in place under CDC authority, tied to an Ebola outbreak that unfolded earlier in the year. Three attackers who feature for Zambia — Barbra Banda of Orlando Pride, Racheal Kundananji of Chicago Stars, and Prisca Chilufya of Angel City FC — each took to the pitch in that fixture.
In a statement released on Friday, the NWSL noted that a number of players who took part in the Zambian Women's National Team's recent international window are currently working through re-entry health protocols mandated by the U.S. government for those arriving back from the East African region. The league issued a statement on player health without identifying anyone by name, while also noting that — barring any government-granted exemptions — a re-entry period of roughly 21 days would be calculated from each athlete's individual departure date after the Oct. 8 fixture, placing the window's end at around Oct. 30.
Regular-season play in the NWSL wraps up on Nov. 1. League officials and club representatives have been working alongside U.S. immigration authorities to facilitate the athletes' return, with all players understood to be in good physical condition.
Chilufya features for an Angel City squad that has been gathering form and pushing toward what would be only the club's second playoff appearance since its founding. Across 24 appearances this campaign, her attacking output has totalled five goals alongside a single assist.
A transfer involving Kundananji moved her from Bay FC to the Chicago Stars in the days leading up to the NWSL's roster freeze. Sitting at the foot of the standings with postseason entry no longer on the table, the Chicago club has seen its season effectively come to a close.
Her 17 goals across the current campaign place Banda just one spot off the NWSL's top scoring position. Nine points separate the Pride from a playoff position with only three matches remaining, and a single unfavorable result this weekend — among several possible scenarios — would be enough to close out Orlando's postseason hopes mathematically.
Under current CDC rules, anyone who has been in the Democratic Republic of Congo at any point during the preceding 21 days faces a bar on entering the United States. A two-match series between Ivory Coast and DR Congo got under way on home soil for the latter earlier this month.
Kouassi, an Ivory Coast international who lines up for the Washington Spirit, did not receive authorisation from her club to make the trip to Congo for the opening leg. After linking up with the Ivory Coast national squad for the second leg of their fixture, Kouassi made her way back to Washington this week without having to serve a quarantine period upon return.
With three weeks remaining on the NWSL regular-season calendar, the postseason bracket opens up in November.
