Zambia have taken a huge step toward qualifying for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) — which also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup — after beating Namibia 4–2 on Wednesday.
The Copper Queens opened the scoring 13 minutes into the match when Racheal Kundananji tapped in a brilliant cut-back from Eneless Phiri.
Just four minutes later, Grace Chanda delivered a precise cross that found Racheal Nachula inside the box, who looped the ball into the net to double Zambia’s lead.
In the second half, head coach Nora Häuptle opted to watch from the stands as Namibia grew more organized and began to pile pressure on the Zambian defense. Their persistence paid off in the 52nd minute when Ivone Kooper fired a superb shot past goalkeeper Hazel Nali to pull one back for the Brave Gladiators.
Namibia leveled the score just six minutes later. Nachula committed a foul inside the box, and captain Zenatha Coleman calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 58th minute to make it 2–2.
Kundanji hat-trick
Zambia refused to be shaken, however. In the 72nd minute, Kundananji restored Häuptle’s side’s lead with a powerful strike into the top right corner.
With four minutes of added time, Kundananji struck again — capitalizing on a loose ball, rounding the Namibian goalkeeper, and slotting home her third goal of the match to complete her hat-trick and seal a 4–2 victory.
The goal marked Kundananji’s 37th international goal in 53 appearances since her debut in 2018.
The return leg will be played in Ndola on Sunday, where Namibia must score at least three unanswered goals to advance. A draw will be enough for Häuptle’s side to secure their ticket to Morocco for next year’s WAFCON tournament.
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