The Copper Queens will kick off their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign against Egypt tonight in Rabat.
Zambia, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the previous edition, will be aiming for a strong start in Group C before taking on record champions Nigeria and Malawi.
Speaking ahead of the match, head coach Nora Hauptle declared her team ready for the challenge but warned against underestimating Egypt, despite their qualification for the tournament through the expanded WAFCON format after failing to qualify through the regular process.
“We examined our opposition very well. Our opening game is against Egypt, a football nation. We don’t underrate them, of course, but the focus is very much on us,” she said during the pre-match press conference. “We’re also experienced in how to build the energy towards a starting game, and we are cool and cannot wait to start.”
Hauptle also revealed that the technical bench has worked on “tactical screws” following Zambia’s failure to win either of their two pre-tournament friendlies against Algeria, having drawn 1-1 and lost 1-0.
“So we’ve worked a lot on tactical screws. Of course, we observed Egypt and found a bit of the spaces, the gaps,” she said. “And then we just keep very much focusing on us.
“We have in the last months developed one or two new tactical plans also, which we implemented well, so we got a bit more flexible; we know exactly how we want to enter the game, and we also know we can change in and adapt also with the plan B, C,” she said.
The 2026 WAFCON also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which remains Hauptle’s primary target.
