Zambia have been eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) despite defeating Malawi 2-1 in their final Group C match.
The Copper Queens went into the fixture knowing they needed to win by at least a two-goal margin to secure a place in the quarterfinals. They made the perfect start, with Barbra Banda opening the scoring in the second minute before Prisca Chilufya doubled the advantage in the 37th minute to give Zambia a comfortable 2-0 lead at the break.
Zambia dominated possession for much of the second half and created several chances to extend their lead. However, Malawi struck on the counterattack in the 72nd minute, with Tabitha Chawinga producing a superb solo run before scoring to reduce the deficit to 2-1 — a goal that ultimately proved decisive for Nora Häuptle‘s side.
Meanwhile, Nigeria thrashed Egypt 6-2 to finish second in the group behind Malawi, with both teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
How Zambia was eliminated
The Copper Queens were eliminated after CAF’s head-to-head tiebreak criteria were applied in a three-team mini-league involving Zambia, Malawi and Nigeria, who all finished level on points.
According to Article 71.2 of the WAFCON regulations, when three or more teams are tied on points, the first tiebreaker is the number of points obtained in matches involving the tied teams. Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia each finished with three points in their mini-league.
The next criterion is goal difference in matches between the tied teams:
- Malawi: Beat Nigeria 3-2 and lost 2-1 to Zambia (Goals For: 4, Goals Against: 4, Goal Difference: 0).
- Nigeria: Lost 3-2 to Malawi and beat Zambia 1-0 (Goals For: 3, Goals Against: 3, Goal Difference: 0).
- Zambia: Lost 1-0 to Nigeria and beat Malawi 2-1 (Goals For: 2, Goals Against: 2, Goal Difference: 0).
With all three teams level on goal difference, the next tiebreaker was goals scored in matches between the tied teams:
- Malawi: 4 goals
- Nigeria: 3 goals
- Zambia: 2 goals
As a result, Malawi finished top of the group, Nigeria claimed second place, and Zambia were eliminated despite their victory over the Scorchers.
