Copper Queens coach Nora Hauptle has insisted her side must focus on qualifying for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) before dreaming of the World Cup, as Zambia prepares to face Namibia without star striker and captain Barbara Banda.
Zambia will take on Namibia on October 22 away before a home tie four days later. This is in a two-legged affair that will determine their qualification for the 2026 WAFCON, which will also be used as a qualifier for the World Cup.
Hauptle is not getting ahead of herself, insisting that the immediate focus for the team should be to secure a WAFCON place first.
“Panono, panono we say. First, let us focus on this qualifier. We always do our first job well and when it is done [we qualify], then we also look forward,” she said after the team’s first training session on Friday.
Nora on Barbra Banda absence
Zambia will have to do without Banda, who is unavailable for the clash due to a hip abductor injury. Hauptle admitted that the Orlando Pride striker’s absence is a blow, but challenged others to step up.
“Of course you can never substitute Barbara Banda. You don’t find a substitution one-on-one, but for me it is like losers complain and winners, they try to find a solution. We have here 41 players, we have called up a lot of strikers, wingers. So it is now time to step in for the next [player],” she said.
The Swiss, who has assembled a provisional squad of 41 players, said preparations are on track and foreign-based players will soon link up with the camp.
“Our international players from the US and China will probably arrive on Monday and Tuesday. That will be a lot of time, but we will use this one to put sessions before. Namibia, I know very well, because with Ghana, I kicked them out in the last qualifiers.
“So for me it is nothing new, we know about their qualities. They have two or three good players, we are aware of it, but basically we focus on us,” she said.
Meanwhile, Banda, who also missed the 2022 WAFCON qualifier against Namibia—a match that saw the Copper Queens secure their tournament spot—expressed regret that she will miss the upcoming game.
“Actually, it is unfortunate that I keep on missing Namibia’s game. But I know what the girls are coming up to. I am always behind them. The encouragement that I’m always giving them, I think, they are so motivated and they are up for the game,” she said.
Banda emphasized the need to take a game at a time but not lose sight of the main target.
“Yeah, so I think at this moment we take each game one step at a time. At the moment, we are looking at Namibia. We need to win and then we qualify to the World Cup,” she said.
