Zambia’s Barbra Banda to Play at Women’s World Cup After Gender Eligibility Ban | by Amuna Wagner

After being excluded from this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations by the Zambia FA (Faz) for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test, Barbra Banda has been cleared to attend the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023.

The 22-year-old forward rose to fame at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when she became the first female player to score consecutive hat-tricks in the Games' long history.

The medical form that triggered Banda's exclusion from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) was originally laid out by the International Association Football Federation (FIFA) and is currently being reviewed.

"FIFA is currently reviewing our gender eligibility regulations - we're in a consultation process right now", Sarai Bareman, FIFA's chief women's football officer, told BBC Sport Africa.

"My team is obviously a big part of that consultation process, and in the coming months, you'll see a new set of regulations come out of FIFA as many sports are also looking at their own regulations.

"Football's world governing body estimates the new guidelines for gender eligibility will be released before the 2023 Women's World Cup, but it remains non-committal on whether the controversial practice of gender testing - which primarily leads to the exclusion of Black women - will continue to overshadow the women's game.

Alongside Morocco, Zambia is one of five countries which will make their Women's World Cup debut in the 2023 tournament, which Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting.

After being excluded from this year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations by the Zambia FA (Faz) for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test, Barbra Banda has been cleared to attend the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2023.

The 22-year-old forward rose to fame at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when she became the first female player to score consecutive hat-tricks in the Games' long history.

"FIFA is currently reviewing our gender eligibility regulations - we're in a consultation process right now", Sarai Bareman, FIFA's chief women's football officer, told BBC Sport Africa.

"My team is obviously a big part of that consultation process, and in the coming months, you'll see a new set of regulations come out of FIFA as many sports are also looking at their own regulations.

Alongside Morocco, Zambia is one of five countries which will make their Women's World Cup debut in the 2023 tournament, which Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting.