Eneless Phiri Biography: Career, Goals, Awards & Zambia WAFCON Star

Eneless Phiri, born on 2 June 2003, is a Zambian professional footballer who has emerged as one of the most exciting attacking talents in the country’s women’s game. A versatile winger capable of creating chances, scoring goals and stretching defences with her pace and direct running, Phiri plays for ZESCO Ndola Girls and represents the Zambia women’s national team, the Copper Queens.

Her rise has been built on a combination of early international exposure, consistent domestic performances and a breakthrough 2025 campaign that established her on the regional stage. From representing Zambia at Under-20 level to becoming an important player for the senior Copper Queens, Phiri has steadily developed into a player capable of making an impact at the highest level of African women’s football.

Early Career and Development

Phiri began her senior club journey with Police Doves, before moving to Nkwazi Queens in 2022. Her early development also included involvement with Zambia’s youth national teams, giving her valuable international experience while still a young player.

One of her earliest major international moments came with the Zambia Under-20 women’s team in 2021. She was selected for the Young Queens during their FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign against Malawi. In the first-leg encounter in Lusaka, Phiri produced an outstanding performance, scoring a hat-trick in Zambia’s 6–0 victory.

That performance offered an early indication of the attacking instincts that would later become a defining feature of her game.

Breakthrough at ZESCO Ndola Girls

Phiri’s career took another significant step forward after joining ZESCO Ndola Girls, where she became an influential figure in one of Zambia’s leading women’s football sides.

Her biggest breakthrough came during the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers. ZESCO Ndola Girls reached the final in their debut appearance, defeating two-time continental champions Mamelodi Sundowns 2–1 in the semi-final. Phiri scored ZESCO’s equaliser in that historic victory and played a major role in creating the winning goal.

ZESCO ultimately finished as runners-up after Gaborone United Ladies won the final on penalties following a 1–1 draw. Despite missing out on the trophy, Phiri emerged as one of the tournament’s outstanding performers.

She scored three goals in five matches and was subsequently named Player of the Tournament. The award was particularly significant because it made her the first Zambian player to receive the tournament’s top individual honour.

Her performances also attracted attention beyond Zambia, with Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies reportedly submitting a transfer request for the young winger in December 2025. Phiri indicated that she had ambitions of playing at the highest level, underlining her desire to continue progressing in her career.

A Standout 2025/26 Domestic Season

Phiri continued her development during the 2025/26 domestic campaign, becoming one of ZESCO Ndola Girls’ most influential attacking players.

ZESCO successfully defended the ZPL Women’s Super League title, finishing the campaign with 85 points. Phiri contributed both goals and assists during the title-winning campaign, including a goal in the decisive 7–0 victory over Luyando Foundation that confirmed the championship.

Her individual numbers were particularly impressive. According to ZESCO Ndola Girls’ end-of-season figures, Phiri played 32 matches, scored 15 goals and registered 39 assists during the campaign. Her performances earned her three major club awards: Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season and Fans’ Player of the Season.

Those honours reflected not only her ability to score but also her importance as a creator. While Avell Chitundu finished as ZESCO’s leading scorer, Phiri’s contribution in supplying chances and linking the attack made her one of the team’s most influential players.

Emergence with the Copper Queens

Phiri’s progression at club level has been matched by her development with the Zambia senior women’s national team.

After representing Zambia at Under-20 level, she moved into the senior setup and began making her mark internationally. She scored against Namibia on 26 October 2025 during Zambia’s 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, before finding the net again against Zimbabwe on 2 December 2025 during the Three Nations Tournament in Malawi.

Her performance against Zimbabwe was another indication of her growing importance. She scored and helped Zambia to a 3–1 victory, while reports from the tournament credited her with finishing as the competition’s leading scorer after scoring twice against Zimbabwe and providing an assist.

By early 2026, Phiri had become one of the attacking players expected to carry a greater responsibility for Zambia. She was included in the Copper Queens squad for the 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship, with head coach Nora Häuptle trusting her as one of the team’s leading attacking options.

WAFCON Debut and a Memorable Goal

One of the biggest moments of Phiri’s career arrived on 28 July 2026, when she made her senior Women’s Africa Cup of Nations debut against Egypt in Rabat, Morocco.

Coming off the bench, Phiri marked her first appearance at the continental tournament in spectacular fashion. She scored Zambia’s fifth goal in a 6–0 demolition of Egypt, curling a long-range effort into the net in stoppage time.

The goal came in a match in which captain Barbra Banda scored four times and Racheal Nachula added a penalty. Phiri’s strike completed a memorable WAFCON debut and provided another landmark moment in her rapidly developing international career.

For a player who had worked her way through Zambia’s youth ranks, scoring on her WAFCON debut represented another important step in her transformation from promising youngster into an established Copper Queens attacker.

Continued Rise in 2026

Phiri’s form has continued into the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers, where ZESCO Ndola Girls returned to the regional competition as Zambian champions.

In ZESCO’s opening Group A match against Zimbabwean side Herentals Queens on 20 August 2026, Phiri scored twice as ZESCO won 5–2. She was also named Player of the Match, once again demonstrating her influence on the regional stage.

The performance is significant because it shows that her 2025 Player of the Tournament award was not an isolated achievement. Phiri has continued to produce decisive performances in continental competition, making her one of the players to watch as ZESCO pursue another CAF Women’s Champions League qualification campaign.

Playing Style

Phiri primarily operates as a winger, but her attacking versatility allows her to influence games from different areas of the final third.

Her game is characterised by:

• Direct running and attacking movement.
• The ability to create opportunities for teammates.
• A strong eye for goal.
• Confidence taking on defenders.
• Effective combination play in the final third.
• The ability to contribute both goals and assists.
• A willingness to shoot from distance.

Her 2025 COSAFA performances demonstrated that she can perform against some of the strongest clubs in Southern African women’s football, while her 2025/26 domestic statistics highlighted her exceptional creative contribution.

Honours and Recognition

With ZESCO Ndola Girls

• ZPL Women’s Super League: Champion, 2024/25
• ZPL Women’s Super League: Champion, 2025/26
• CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers: Runner-up, 2025

Individual

• 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers: Player of the Tournament
• ZESCO Ndola Girls Player of the Season: 2025/26
• ZESCO Ndola Girls Players’ Player of the Season: 2025/26
• ZESCO Ndola Girls Fans’ Player of the Season: 2025/26

The 2025 COSAFA Player of the Tournament award remains one of the defining achievements of her career, while her three ZESCO end-of-season awards underline just how influential she was domestically during the following campaign.

Legacy in the Making

At just 23 years old, Eneless Phiri has already built an impressive résumé. She has progressed from Zambia’s youth setup to the senior Copper Queens, won major domestic honours, become a regional Player of the Tournament, attracted interest from one of Africa’s leading women’s clubs and scored on her WAFCON debut.

Perhaps most importantly, her development has been accompanied by increasing consistency. Her 2025 breakthrough at the COSAFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers was followed by a highly productive domestic season, senior international goals, a memorable WAFCON debut and another two-goal performance in the 2026 COSAFA qualifiers.

For Zambian women’s football, Phiri represents part of a new generation of players capable of carrying the Copper Queens forward. Her combination of youth, creativity, goalscoring ability and experience at club and international level places her among the country’s emerging football stars.

If her trajectory continues, Eneless Phiri could become not only an important player for ZESCO Ndola Girls and the Copper Queens, but one of Zambia’s leading exports in women’s football.