Female footballers from one of Africa's top national teams are joining the army en masse. Why?

A highly unusual situation has arisen in the Zambian women's national football team, which is one of the strongest in Africa. The issue at hand is that many of the national team players are now enlisting in the armed forces of their country.

Specifically, recently, this decision was made by Margaret Belemu, Ochumba Oseke, and Mary Vilombe, who are key players in the Zambian national team. As a result, all of them missed the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics, to which Zambia managed to qualify.

These footballers have joined seven other members of the Zambian national team who have chosen to serve in the army.

What is the reason behind this? The crux of the matter lies in the local league, which is entirely controlled by the Football Association of Zambia, where female players earn only $20 a month. This motivates these women to seek additional income in the army.

The Zambian national team participated in the last World Cup, finishing third in their group, behind Japan and Spain.