Copper Queens head coach Nora Häuptle says her side will be going all out for victory against Nigeria’s Super Falcons in tonight’s Group C clash at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Zambia began their campaign in emphatic fashion with a 6-0 victory over Egypt. Another win tonight would secure their place in the quarterfinals. However, they face a formidable Nigerian side, despite the 10-time champions suffering a surprise 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their opening match.
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a 5-0 victory for Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the previous WAFCON. When asked whether she would settle for a draw, given that it would still be a positive result for Zambia, Häuptle insisted her team is only focused on winning.
“Well, my team Zambia never plays for a draw. It’s not in our nature. We always chase for a lead in a game,” Häuptle responded.
“Of course, you remind us right that in the last edition we lost against Nigeria in the quarter-final. We took a lot of learnings out of that game. As I said in the last [press] conference, we got tactical and much more flexible, so I think we can also surprise Nigeria with one or two points which we adjusted.”
Häuptle, who is leading the Copper Queens at WAFCON for the second time, said she is confident her players will deliver another strong performance.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team that we bring out our best performance [today].”
Zambia top Group C with three points and a superior goal difference, while Malawi are second on the same number of points. Nigeria and Egypt occupy third and fourth place respectively after losing their opening matches.
