The Copper Queens produced a spirited display to defeat Malawi 2-1 in their final Group C match at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, but the victory was not enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Zambia were eliminated under CAF’s head-to-head tiebreak procedure despite finishing with the best overall goal difference among the three teams tied on six points.
Key regulations explained for the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN, PAMOJA 2024
Barbra Banda gave Zambia the perfect start by scoring inside two minutes before Prisca Chilufya doubled the advantage in the 36th minute after excellent work by Margaret Belemu.
Goalkeeper Hazel Nali was equally influential, producing two outstanding first-half saves to deny Malawi’s dangerous attack and help Zambia carry a deserved 2-0 lead into the break.
Malawi refused to surrender and pulled one back in the 71st minute through Tabitha Chawinga, setting up a tense finish. However, the Copper Queens defended bravely to hold on for a valuable 2-1 victory.
While Zambia were celebrating three crucial points, Nigeria were dismantling Egypt 6-2 in the other Group C fixture. The results left Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia all level on six points.
Many supporters immediately looked at the standings in disbelief. Zambia had the best overall goal difference in the group at +6, compared to Nigeria’s +4 and Malawi’s +2. Under many competitions that would have been enough to qualify.
However, CAF competitions do not use overall goal difference as the first tiebreaker when teams finish level on points.
Instead, the tournament first considers the head-to-head results between the tied teams.
Head-to-head results among the three teams
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Malawi vs Nigeria | Malawi 3-2 Nigeria |
| Nigeria vs Zambia | Nigeria 1-0 Zambia |
| Zambia vs Malawi | Zambia 2-1 Malawi |
Each team recorded one victory and one defeat against the others, leaving them level on head-to-head points. CAF then applied the remaining head-to-head criteria within the mini-league before considering overall goal difference, which is why Zambia’s superior overall goal difference did not count.
As a result, Zambia’s impressive overall goal difference of +6 could not rescue their campaign, with the Copper Queens finishing third despite conceding only two goals throughout the group stage.
It is a heartbreaking conclusion for Nora Häuptle’s side, who defeated Egypt 6-0 and overcame Malawi in a must-win encounter, yet still fell short of the knockout stages because of the tournament regulations.
Despite the disappointment, Zambia leave Morocco with plenty of positives. Barbra Banda once again led from the front, Prisca Chilufya continued her excellent tournament with another goal, Hazel Nali was outstanding between the posts, while Eneless Phiri and Lushomo Mweemba delivered mature performances under immense pressure.
The Copper Queens may have exited the tournament, but their performances showed they remain among Africa’s strongest sides. This time, it was not goal difference that ended Zambia’s journey—it was the unforgiving nature of the head-to-head rule.
