Barbra Banda has made breaking records at major international tournaments a habit. From the Summer Olympics to the FIFA Women’s World Cup and now the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), its undeniable that she loves to rewrite the record books.
In the aftermath of Zambia’s 6-0 throttling of Egypt in the opening Group C match of the WAFCON 2026, BolaNews looks back at some of the records Banda set on Tuesday.
Zambia’s First-Ever WAFCON Hat-trick
Prior to the 2026 edition, no Zambian player had ever recorded a hat-trick in WAFCON history. The closest they came to the feat are Racheal Kundananji’s brace vs Equatorial Guinea in 2018, Grace Chanda’s double against Togo in 2022 and Barbra Banda’s two-goal performance against Senegal in 2025.
After firing twice against Egypt, from a penalty kick and header, Barbra Banda expertly volleyed the ball into the net to become the first Zambian to score a hat-trick in the competition’s history.
First WAFCON Haul In Decade
Banda joined Nigerian icons Perpetua Nkwocha and Asisat Oshoala in the record books, becoming just the third player to score four goals in a single WAFCON match.
Nkwocha schooled Cameroon in the 2004 African Women’s Championship final as she netted four goals in a 5-0 win to lead Nigeria to their six title. In 2016, Oshoala’s poker inspired Nigeria to a 6-0 victory over Mali in the group stage.
Most Prolific Half In WAFCON history
Going into the 60th minute of Zambia’s encounter vs Egypt, Barbra Banda was yet to find the back of the net. Nachula’s first-half penalty goal separated the two sides with nearly an hour of football played.
However, Banda and Zambia ramped up the gears and began their assault of the Cleopatras. With goals in the 60th, 63rd, 87th and 96th minutes, the Copper Queens skipper became the first player to score four goals in a single half of a WAFCON match.
Zambia’s WAFCON All-Time Topscorer
With Banda’s match ball secured, the Egyptian defence probably thought she was done for the day, but the 26-year-old was only getting started. Racheal Kundananji, with the ball in the left half space, cut the ball back to Banda, who netted her fourth of the night.
The goal made the Orlando Pride attacker the outright all-time top scorer for Zambia in WAFCON history with seven goals, going clear of assist provider Kundananji.
Most Hat-tricks by African Player in Major Tournaments
Across major international tournaments in women’s football (FIFA World Cup, Summer Olympics and WAFCON), Barbra Banda has now scored four hat-tricks, going level with Nkwocha. All of Nkwocha’s four hat-tricks came at the WAFCON. The Super Falcons legend bagged three against Cameroon and one against Mali at the continental showpiece.
Banda, on the other hand, scored trebles against the Netherlands, China and Australia at the Summer Olympics before adding one against Egypt at the WAFCON.
