The Zambia Women’s National Team, the Copper Queens, are set to face Namibia in the first leg of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers on Wednesday in Johannesburg.

The Copper Queens, who suffered a disappointing quarterfinal exit in the last edition of the WAFCON tournament, are determined to make amends this time and return to the tournament, which will also serve as the qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Defender Racheal Nachula has expressed confidence that the team has learned from past mistakes and is ready to face Namibia. “We really want to go back and correct the mistakes we made at the last edition and as a team, we are prepared. We really want it, we really want to go back to WAFCON,” she said.

Nachula added, “We know that Namibia is not a small team. It’s a big team. We know that it will be a fifty-fifty game where each team wants to qualify. Between us and Namibia we all want to qualify. We know that it won’t be an easy game. We‘re ready for it. We are prepared enough.”

Midfielder Natasha Nayangwe also acknowledged that facing Namibia would be tough, but she stressed that the team was prepared.

“Looking at the WAFCON next year, it will be a World Cup Qualifier. So it will mean a lot for us as a team, Zambia, to qualify. So Namibia won’t be an easy opponent because we know that they are also preparing for us.”

The winner after the two fixtures will secure qualification for the 2026 WAFCON tournament, which will be hosted in Morocco.

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