The Copper Queens have been eliminated from the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) despite recording a 2-1 victory over Malawi in their final Group C match on Wednesday night.
Zambia entered the decisive encounter knowing they needed to win by at least a two-goal margin to book a place in the quarterfinals, but a second-half goal from Tabitha Chawinga proved enough to end their campaign.
Dream Start for Zambia
The Copper Queens made the perfect start as captain Barbra Banda found the back of the net just two minutes into the contest to hand Zambia an early lead.
Zambia continued to dominate proceedings and doubled their advantage in the 37th minute through Prisca Chilufya, who finished confidently to send the Copper Queens into the halftime break with a deserved 2-0 lead.
With one more goal needed to secure qualification, Zambia looked firmly in control.
Chawinga Strikes the Decisive Blow
The Copper Queens controlled possession for large periods of the second half and created several opportunities to extend their advantage.
However, Malawi struck on the counterattack in the 72nd minute when Tabitha Chawinga produced a brilliant solo run before calmly finishing to make it 2-1.
The goal proved decisive, denying Zambia the two-goal winning margin they required to progress.
Nigeria Join Malawi in the Quarterfinals
In the other Group C fixture, Nigeria defeated Egypt 6-2, ensuring both the Super Falcons and Malawi advanced to the knockout stages.
All three teams—Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia—finished level on six points, forcing CAF’s tiebreak regulations to determine the final standings.
How Zambia Were Eliminated
Under Article 71.2 of the WAFCON regulations, the first tiebreaker for teams level on points is the number of points obtained in matches involving the tied teams.
Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia each collected three points in their head-to-head mini-league.
The next criterion was goal difference in matches between the tied teams:
- Malawi: GF 4, GA 4, GD 0
- Nigeria: GF 3, GA 3, GD 0
- Zambia: GF 2, GA 2, GD 0
With all three teams still level, the next tiebreaker was goals scored in the matches involving the tied teams:
- Malawi: 4 goals
- Nigeria: 3 goals
- Zambia: 2 goals
As a result, Malawi finished top of Group C, Nigeria claimed second place, and Zambia were eliminated despite defeating the Scorchers.
A Cruel End to Zambia’s Campaign
The Copper Queens will leave Morocco wondering what might have been after producing victories over Egypt and Malawi but narrowly missing out on qualification.
Despite the disappointment, Zambia showed flashes of the quality that has made them one of Africa’s leading women’s football nations and will now turn their attention to future international assignments.
