Copper Queens midfielder Grace Chanda and Orlando Pride have agreed to keep her at the club through the 2026 season.
The club confirmed the development in a statement on their website monitored by the ZamFoot Crew.
“ORLANDO, Fla. (June 27, 2025) — The Orlando Pride (8-4-1, 25 points) and Grace Chanda have agreed to exercise the midfielder’s mutual option for the 2026 season, it was announced today.”
Chanda joined the Pride following Zambia’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics, signing a contract through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026, in May.
Chanda was placed on the Season Ending Injury list after sustaining an injury while representing Zambia in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Prior to signing with the Pride, Chanda most recently played for Madrid CFF in Spain’s top-division Liga F and was one of three players shortlisted for African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2022.
The 28-year-old made her Pride debut earlier this season, coming on as a second-half substitute on March 19 against the Washington Spirit.
In all, the Zambian international has made three appearances for the Pride in her NWSL career.
Chanda was the top goalscorer in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifiers for Africa with eight goals.
She captained Zambia in the absence of Barbra Banda and helped the Copper Queens clinch bronze at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup in Morocco with three goals to her name.
In 2022 she was among the top three nominees for the CAF Women’s Player of the Year.
She was the top goalscorer of the FAZ Women’s League in the 2021 season with 35 goals ( nine of which came in one game against ZISD Women) and was named best player at the End of season awards gala.
She also scored 86 goals in 26 games for ZESCO Ndola Girls in 2018 in the Copperbelt Women’s Provincial League.
In August 2022, Chanda scored a hat-trick in her UEFA Women’s Champions League debut as BIIK Kazygurt thrashed Croatian side ZNK Split 5-1 at the Gradski Stadion Varazdin.
