Copper Queens defender Margaret Belemu says the scheduled double-header friendly match against Algeria will help the team sharpen their approach against Egypt in the opening as they aim to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Zambia is drawn in Group C alongside defending champions Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi. Nora Hauptle’s side will open their campaign against Egypt on 28 July at the Rabat Olympic Stadium.
In the build-up to the tournament, Zambia will camp in Algeria, with friendly matches between the nations slated for July 19 and 22 before the two teams jet out to Morocco on the same flight.
Speaking after training in Lusaka on Wednesday morning, Belemu said preparations are going well as all players are working hard to secure a place in the final squad.
“The preparations are going well. Everyone is working so hard. Everyone is pushing during the training sessions, and it’s looking good. The numbers are still a bit high. Everyone is looking to get to that final list,” she said.
“The competition is great. Like I said, everyone is pushing. Everyone is showing a positive attitude to be found in the best team that will travel for the WAFCON, which is good for the team.”
Belemu has maintained that the team is focused on securing qualification to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She, however, believes that the friendly matches will help sharpen the team’s approach in their opening match against Egypt and the rest of the group matches.
“As a team, our main objective is to go and qualify for the World Cup and also to win the trophy. So I think the two friendlies will give us an idea of how Egypt plays because they have the same style of play,” said Belemu.
“So I think it’s a very good, friendly game that we’ll have against them. It will help us gauge ourselves also on how we are playing as a team. So it’s a very tough group. We all know how Nigeria plays. Also, Malawi is a very good side.
“Egypt also is a very good team. So we’re not underrating any team. We had a very tough game against Nigeria at the last WAFCON Cup. So I think we have a lot of things that we need to work on as a team.”
The veteran defender also warned that Zambia should expect a tough outing this time around but remain optimistic they can win the WAFCON.
“This time around they should expect a very tough game from us. I think everyone wants to go to the World Cup. So we’re expecting a very tough tournament this time around. Everyone is ready for this tournament. We want to go to the World Cup again this time around and win the trophy.”
The tournament will kick off on Sunday, 26 July 2026, with Algeria facing Senegal at 18:00 local time at the Rabat Olympic Stadium.
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