Zambia : How Copper Queens Exited WAFCON Despite Beating Malawi

The Copper Queens were eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Wednesday night despite beating Malawi 2-1 in their final Group C match in Rabat, Morocco.
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‎The result also means Zambia has missed out on qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
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‎Zambia, Malawi and Nigeria all finished the group stage on six points each. However, the Copper Queens exited the tournament due to an inferior head-to-head record among the three teams.
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‎Tournament rules stipulated that results against bottom-placed Egypt, who lost all three matches, were not considered when separating the teams.
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‎With Egypt removed from the equation, Zambia were eliminated for scoring only two goals in matches involving Malawi and Nigeria. Malawi scored three and Nigeria four in those same fixtures.
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‎It was a cruel exit for a Zambian side that finished with six points but could not progress to the knockout rounds.
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‎BANDA STRIKES EARLY
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‎The Copper Queens made the perfect start at the stadium. Captain Barbra Banda opened the scoring inside the first minute with a powerful long-range strike her fifth goal of the competition and enough to keep her as the tournament’s leading scorer.
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‎Zambia continued to press and nearly doubled their lead in the 18th minute. Irene Lungu’s well-taken free-kick was pushed away by Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo.
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‎The second goal came eight minutes before halftime. Margaret Belemu picked out Prisca Chilufya with a cutback from the right, and the forward calmly fired home to give Zambia a comfortable 2-0 lead.
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‎TENSE FINISH
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‎Malawi pulled one goal back in the second half, setting up a tense finish.

Both teams created chances in the closing minutes, with Zambia pushing for more goals knowing that goal difference in the mini-league would prove crucial.
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‎Despite securing all three points, the 2-1 victory was not enough.

Malawi and Nigeria progressed from Group C on the tournament’s tiebreaker rules, ending Zambia’s WAFCON campaign at the group stage.
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‎The early exit marks a setback for the Copper Queens, who had aimed to build on their 2022 semi-final run and secure a second straight World Cup appearance.
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‎Zambia skipper Banda was named player of the match.

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