Zambia’s Copper Queens face a daunting task in their final Group C match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where they need an outright win to stay in the competition and keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.
The Copper Queens opened their campaign with a 6-0 win over Egypt before losing 1-0 to Nigeria. They need at least a 2-0 victory over Malawi to guarantee qualification should Nigeria win their final group match against Egypt.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Zambia head coach Nora Häuptle said qualification remains in her team’s hands.
“We are in a very good situation. It’s all in our hands,” Häuptle said. “Of course, we have seen all these calculations, but we don’t go out and calculate tomorrow on the pitch. We go out and focus on our performance, as always. We have a clear approach to how we want to face Malawi. I think we played three very good halftimes out of the last four, and we want to build on this stable approach.”
“So as I said, we are in a good position, all in our hands. For me, it’s a privilege to be in this situation. To play the last game in this group and to be in the situation where it’s in our hands. We don’t need to rely on other results but what we face; that’s not pressure.”
On facing Malawi, Häuptle believes their team is similar to hers.
“This squad is as equal to us. They have top players on the club level, and they have players abroad; they also have good players in the squad behind the top players.
“So it’s a very similar team in the picture to our team, and for me,. We know about their strength. We also played against each other a lot, so players know each other. Tactic-wise, there are not so many secrets, I would say, in this game, but again, we bounce back to us.”
In their last five meetings across all competitions, Zambia have beaten Malawi three times, while Malawi have won twice.
The match could also see both Zambia and Malawi advance to the quarterfinals if Nigeria lose or draw against Egypt and Zambia beats Malawi.
