Zambia vs Egypt WAFCON 2026: The Zambia Women’s National Team announced themselves as genuine contenders at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with an emphatic Zambia 6-0 Egypt victory in their opening Group C match in Morocco.
Captain Barbra Banda stole the headlines with an outstanding four-goal performance, while Rachael Nachula and debutant Eneless Phiri also found the net as the Copper Queens produced one of their most complete displays in recent tournament history.
Although Zambia dominated much of the opening half, Egypt defended resolutely until Barbra Banda was brought down inside the penalty area midway through the first period. Rachael Nachula calmly converted from the penalty spot in the 24th minute to give Zambia a deserved 1-0 lead, a scoreline that remained unchanged through the eight minutes of first-half stoppage time.
Coach Nora Häuptle’s side emerged after the break with even greater attacking intent.
After another VAR review resulted in a second penalty, Barbra Banda confidently doubled Zambia’s advantage from the spot in the 59th minute before adding her second just three minutes later following an excellent team move that sliced through the Egyptian defence.
The Copper Queens continued to dictate possession and tempo while making effective use of their bench. Eneless Phiri replaced Prisca Chilufya in the 63rd minute and immediately added pace and directness to Zambia’s attack. Later, Saliya Mwanza and Evarine Katongo entered the match, with both Saliya Mwanza and Eneless Phiri marking memorable WAFCON debuts.
Barbra Banda completed her hat-trick in the 86th minute to put the contest beyond any doubt before further substitutions saw Margaret Gondwe and Ziomara Mapepa introduced in the closing stages.
There was still time for more goals. In stoppage time, Eneless Phiri capped a dream debut with a superb long-range strike before captain Barbra Banda added her fourth goal moments later to seal a remarkable 6-0 victory.
The result sends a strong message to the rest of the tournament. Zambia combined attacking quality with defensive discipline, while Häuptle’s tactical flexibility and effective substitutions ensured the Copper Queens maintained their intensity throughout the 90 minutes.
Match Summary
Competition: TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026
Stage: Group C
Venue: Morocco
Half-time: Zambia 1-0 Egypt
Full-time: Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Goals
- 24′ Racheal Nachula (Penalty)
- 59′ Barbra Banda (Penalty)
- 62′ Barbra Banda
- 86′ Barbra Banda
- 90+8′ Eneless Phiri
- 90+8′ Barbra Banda
Zambia Substitutions
- 63′ Eneless Phiri ↔ Prisca Chilufya
- 79′ Saliya Mwanza ↔ Racheal Nachula
- 79′ Evarine Katongo ↔ Grace Chanda
- 88′ Margaret Gondwe ↔ Blessings Maluba
- 88′ Siomara Mapepa ↔ Margaret Belemu
Player of the Match: Barbra Banda (Zambia) – Four goals and an inspirational captain’s performance.
Elsewhere in Group C, tournament debutants Malawi also attracted attention with a spirited opening performance, underlining that every point in the group stage could prove decisive. The developing group picture suggests Zambia’s upcoming clash with Nigeria could already have significant implications for qualification, with both sides expected to challenge for top spot. However, official results elsewhere in the group should always be confirmed before drawing conclusions about the standings.
