Four Nations Tournament: Harambee Starlets’ Mwanalima Adam confident ahead of Zambia test
By Joel Masibo, June 6, 2026Harambee Starlets skipper Mwanalima Adam has expressed confidence ahead of Kenya’s Four Nations Tournament encounter against Zambia, insisting that her team is not intimidated by the Copper Queens’ reputation or star-studded squad.
Kenya will take on Zambia on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 pm East African Time. Despite Zambia being among Africa’s strongest women’s football nations, Adam believes the match will be decided on the pitch rather than by reputations.
The experienced midfielder, who faced Zambia during the qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, said the Kenyan camp is concentrating on its own preparations instead of focusing on individual opponents. Kenya will be using the tournament as preparation for the delayed 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations ( WAFCON 2026).
Bullish Mwanalima Adam
According to Adam, discussions within the squad revolve around training, tactics, and improving their own performance rather than analyzing high-profile Zambian players. She emphasized that football matches are settled over 90 minutes and not by the status of players before kickoff.
“We don’t discuss players in our camp. We just focus on training, and then the match will decide. You can’t just sit down and discuss how Barbra [Banda], Kundananji[Racheal] and Grace Chanda will play. No, it is not our work. Our work is just playing football, 90 plus minutes, then finish.” She said.
The friendly forms part of Kenya’s preparations for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where the Starlets will make another appearance on the continental stage. The technical bench views the tournament as an opportunity to test the squad against strong opposition before the competition begins.
Although Zambia sits 64 places above Kenya in the latest FIFA women’s rankings, Adam believes rankings alone do not determine the outcome of matches. She pointed to Kenya’s encouraging display against Australia during the FIFA Series in March, where the Starlets delivered a spirited performance despite suffering a 2-0 defeat.
The captain noted that Kenya approached Australia without being overawed by their status and intends to adopt the same mindset against Zambia. She said the team respects its opponents but remains focused on executing its own game plan.
Under the tournament format, the winner of the Kenya-Zambia fixture will advance to face the victor of the match between Zimbabwe and and Lesotho on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The losers of the Saturday matches will meet in the third-place playoff the same day.