Japan and Zambia kick off their Women's World Cup campaign as the two sides cross swords in their opening fixture.
In their maiden appearance in the showpiece event, Zambia would be hoping to set the record straight against a tough Japanese side.
The African side enter the competition on the back of a scintillating victory against Germany and could produce another heartbreak in their opening fixture. All eyes would be on Zambian forward Barbra Banda who would be vying to add to her tally of goals this season.
While Banda would be eager to register her side on the scoresheet, she'll be up against a defensively solid Japanese side as the latter would look to avoid any upsets in their opening game.
The 2015 runners-up have a staggering chance of making it through to the knockouts after giants Spain and a defining performance against Zambia could set the tone right for their campaign.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Zambia vs Japan kick-off time
| Date: | July 22, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:00 a.m. BST |
| Venue: | Waikato Stadium |
Zambia will face Japan at the Waikato Stadium in New Zealand with kick-off at 8:00 a.m. BST
How to watch Zambia vs Japan online - TV channels & live streams
The game can be watched on TV on FS1 and can be live streamed on fuboTV, Peacock, and Sling TV
Team news & squads
Zambia team news
Experienced campaigner Hazel Nali will be guarding Zambia's goal with Agness Musase and Lushomo Mweemba leading the side's backline.
Bruce Mwape usually fields a double pivot with Mary Wilombe and Evarine Susan Katongo tipped to occupy the roles in the centre of the park. Shanghai Shengli's Barbra Banda would be leading the line with Real Madrid stars Rachael Kundananji and Xiomara Mapepa supporting the veteran forward.
Zambia predicted XI (4-3-3): Nali; Belemu, Mweemba, Musase, Tembo; Kundanji, Wilombe, Katonga, Mapepa; Chanda, Banda
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Musonda, Sakala, Nali |
| Defenders: | Blemu, Tembo, Mweemba, E. Banda, Musase, Soko, Phiri, Mulenga |
| Midfielders: | Lungu, H. Chanda, Susan Katongo, Wilombe, Chitundu, S. Banda, Mubanga |
| Forwards: | Mapepa, G. Chanda, Kundananji, B. Banda, Lubandji |
Japan team news
Goalkeeper Akaya Yamashita will be overseeing a three-woman defence of Saki Kumagai, Shiori Miyake and Moeka Minami as the Asian outfit look to consolidate their position as a defensively-sound outfit.
Futoshi Ikeda would look to start Jun Endo and Hina Sugita on either flank with the duo given the responsibility to contribute in attack and defence. While the likes of Yui Hasegawa, Hikaru Naomoto and Fuka Nagano will be looking to marshal the midfield for Japan.
The exclusion of experienced forward Mana Iwabuchi opens the door for Mina Tanaka and Ueki to lead Japan's forward battery.
Japan Predicted XI (5-3-2): Yamashita; Kumagai, Miyake, Minami; Hasegawa, Naomoto, Nagano, Endo, Sugita; Tanaka, Ueki
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Yamashita, Hirao, Tanka |
| Defenders: | Kumagai, Miyake, Shimizu, Seike, Moriya, Minami, Takahashi, Ishikawa |
| Midfielders: | Naomoto, Hasegawa, Sugita, Hayashi, Nagano, Miyazawa, Endo, Fujino |
| Forwards: | Tanaka, Chiba, Ueki, Hamano |
Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first time the two sides are facing each other in all competitions.