Zambia have been eliminated at the group stage of the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, marking a second straight tournament without a place in the semi-finals.
The Copper Queens beat Malawi 2-1 in their final Group C match to finish with six points from three games, having thrashed Egypt 6-0 in their opener before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria.
Despite collecting two wins and finishing with a superior goal difference of +6, Zambia missed out on a place in the knockout stage. Nigeria and Malawi advanced after holding the head-to-head advantage in a three-way tie on six points.
Reacting to the disappointing exit, head coach Nora Häuptle, the former Black Queens boss, expressed her frustration, saying;
Group C’s quarter-finalists: Malawi and Nigeria. 🇲🇼🇳🇬#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/uJEH9xtrW1
— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) August 5, 2026
“We scored the most goals in this group. We conceded the least goals in this group and sometimes I’m not sure if we do the right things with this kind of regulations because it feels completely weird that we are out.”
FULL-TIME! 🇲🇼🇿🇲
Zambia finish on a winning note. 👏#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/08mgtngggO
— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) August 5, 2026
