The Scorchers qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament in Morocco despite losing their final group game 2-1 against Zambia.
Zambia made the perfect start when captain Barbra Banda opened the scoring inside the first minute. The tournament's leading scorer unleashed a powerful long-range strike to net her fifth goal of the competition.
The Copper Queens continued to create chances and nearly doubled their lead in the 18th minute, but Ireen Lungu's well-taken free-kick was pushed away by Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo.
Zambia got their second goal eight minutes before half-time after Margaret Belemu picked out Prisca Chilufya with a cutback from the right, and the forward calmly fired home to give the Copper Queens a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Malawi pulled one goal back in the second half, setting up a tense finish. Both teams created opportunities in the closing minutes, with Zambia pushing for more goals as goal difference proved crucial in the race for qualification.
WAFCON 2026
The 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is taking place from July 26th to August 16th in Morocco, across venues in Rabat and Casablanca. The continent's 16 best sides are competing in groups of four before the knockout stages commence on August 8th.
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Malawi finished number one
Despite securing all three points, the Copper Queens' 2-1 victory was not enough to keep their WAFCON campaign alive, as they exited the tournament at the group stage.
“This is extraordinary, considering where we are coming from. The way we have performed in the group stage is very good, and the players and technical panel are happy with this,” said Fazili.
“Being our first time, playing against tough teams in our group and finishing number one is very good for us.”
Reacting to the defeat against Zambia, Fazili said: “The game was very tough. To be honest, it was not an easy game. Zambia came out strongly against us and played very well, especially in the first 15 minutes.
“We managed to contain them, but when we started playing very well, we conceded two goals in the first half. It was difficult for us to maintain their tempo.
“In the second half, after we went to the dressing room, we discussed and managed to grab a goal through captain Tabitha Chawinga.
“I think we played very well in the second half and Zambia were also chasing shadows because of how we played. I am happy with the qualification, though we lost the game.”
Zambia salutes Copper Queens
Meanwhile, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says while it was disappointed with the first-round exit of the Copper Queens from the ongoing WAFCON, they will quickly reboot and focus on the next assignments.
FAZ President Keith Mweemba said the exit was particularly painful after the team scored the highest number of goals in the group and conceded fewest.
“We have to salute our girls and the technical bench for giving their best at the tournament despite exiting in the first round. It was a separation anchored on peculiar circumstances that unfortunately we have to accept as part of the rules of the game,” said Mweemba.
“There is no debating about the rules but we could have hoped for a better way to conclude the tightly contested group which was virtually the group of death.”
Mweemba added the team should now focus on the forthcoming Olympic qualifiers which start in October.
“We now have to focus on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers which we start in October with back-to-back games against Uganda in the first of five knockout rounds,” he said.
Mweemba added FAZ will conduct a postmortem of the tournament in due course and make necessary adjustments.
“We will be doing a thorough postmortem of the tournament and ensure that we take lessons going forward. We wish to thank the Zambian people for their massive support during the tournament which kept the team motivated to achieve more.”
Zambia exited the tournament after winning two games and losing one to miss out narrowly on qualification to the quarter-finals.
For Malawi, they will now face Ghana in the quarter-finals. The Black Queens booked their place in the quarter-finals after battling to a 1-1 draw against Mali in the final Group C match on Wednesday.
The 2026 WAFCON is a qualifier for the Brazil 2027 FIFA World Cup with the semi-finalists grabbing tickets to the biggest football event in the women’s game.
