Copper Queens forwards Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji have urged fans to remain hopeful following their heavy 5-0 defeat to Nigeria in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) quarter-finals on Friday night.

The match saw former Nigeria take control early, scoring three goals in the first half before sealing the win with two more after the break. Zambia, who had shown promise in the group stages, struggled to find rhythm and offered little resistance in what was clearly their most difficult night at the tournament.

Despite the outcome, Banda remained optimistic that brighter times were ahead.

“Not our day,” she said when asked about the loss.

The skipper, who ends her WAfCON campaign with three goals, added: “We need to get back to the drawing board and work on things that we know we did not apply in the game. Playing the quarter-finals against Nigeria was a great game.”

“It doesn’t mean, we are losers” – Kundananji.

Banda also expressed optimism about the team’s future.

“We have a good team. This is not the end of the world, but we still have a lot of young stars that are coming up who are still growing so we need to get back together and work on a few things,” she said.

Her attacking partner, Kundananji who also had three goals at the tournament struck a defiant tone despite the disappointment.

“Just because we have lost today it doesn’t mean we are losers, being a champion you need when you fall [the most important thing] is how you get up and how you carry yourself,” she said.

“As the Copper Queens we are not backing down, we are looking forward to the next chapter which is the qualifiers that are coming which we need to qualify and next year come back… next year we are coming back strong, everything is still on our side no matter what,” she added.

Zambia’s attention will now turn to the 2026 WAfCON qualifiers, where they will play Namibia in October.