The Zambia Women’s National Team has ramped up preparations for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set to take place from July 5–26, 2025, in Morocco.
Under the guidance of new head coach Nora Häuptle, the Copper Queens played two friendly matches against Malawi in February, securing a 2-0 victory in one game and falling 2-3 in the other in Lusaka. Currently, the team is in China for the 2025 Yongchuan International Tournament in Chongqing, running from April 5-8.
The tournament features hosts China PR, Uzbekistan, and Thailand. Zambia will kick off their campaign against Thailand tomorrow, with a win securing them a spot in the final on April 8 against either China PR or Uzbekistan.
Speaking ahead of the match, Häuptle emphasized the importance of the tournament in giving players exposure ahead of WAFCON, especially in the absence of key U.S.-based players—Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya. According to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Secretary General Rueben Kamanga, the quartet was unable to travel due to “additional travel measures introduced by the new administration in the United States.”
“We are here for this friendly tournament to expose our players and test different squad members. Not all our top players are here, so it’s time for others to step up,” Häuptle said during a press conference on Friday.
Häuptle has set her sights on surpassing Zambia’s best WAFCON finish—a third-place result in 2022.
“We are very excited. Last time we played semi-final and now it’s, of course, to reach the next step there. In October, we have African Cup qualifiers already, and for our home games, we expect over 50-60,000 fans. They’re crazy about football,” she stated.
Häuptle also hinted at more friendly matches to fine-tune the squad. “We are looking forward to those games and will end the year with another international friendly, likely against one of the world’s top 10 nations,” she concluded.
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