Copper Queens head coach Nora Hauptle has revealed that the team has begun preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with the primary objective of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Hauptle has summoned 38 players for a local training camp and confirmed that she has proposed three friendly matches in February ahead of the WAFCON, which will run from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco.

“In February, I expect at least three [friendly] games, and one of it against a top 30 nation, so that we can also prepare the strategies that we want to play at WAFCON,” she told reporters in Lusaka at the Toyota Arena on Wednesday. “So in the planning, I suggested a tournament in Dubai, where the opponents would be ready, but we need to get the approval of the ministry, of course, to get the funding for it.”

Hauptle on FIFA Series

Hauptle also revealed that she reached out to FIFA to include Zambia in the 2026 FIFA Series, where the Copper Queens are set to face Brazil, Canada, and Korea Republic in April. She stressed that Zambia can only grow stronger by playing high-ranked opposition.

“I always demand that when we want to compete and beat Nigeria, we also need to play games at the world level. And it means we need to face opponents in the top 35 of the world. [However] It’s always a question: can we fund this? How are the finances? So I was reaching out to FIFA to bring us into the FIFA series in April, we got accepted and can go to Brazil and play Brazil, Canada, high-level games. So it’s important we have the objective at the WAFCON to qualify for the World Cup when we reach the semi-final that we have straight after.”

The Copper Queens have been drawn in Group C alongside Nigeria, Malawi, and Egypt. They will open their WAFCON campaign against Egypt on March 18, 2026, at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca.

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