Zambia WAFCON 2026 Campaign – Before a ball was kicked at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Malawi were widely regarded as the underdogs in a difficult Group C containing Zambia, defending champions Nigeria and Egypt.
The expectation was fairly straightforward: Zambia and Nigeria would fight for the leading positions, while Malawi and Egypt battled lower down the table.
Malawi have torn up that script.
The Scorchers stunned defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in their opening match, with the Chawinga sisters playing a major role in one of the biggest results of the tournament so far.
Zambia meanwhile made the perfect start, crushing Egypt 6-0, with Barbra Banda scoring four goals.
Those two results have dramatically changed Group C.
For Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle, Saturday’s meeting with Nigeria now requires careful management. Nigeria cannot afford another defeat and will approach Zambia knowing their tournament could be on the line. That potentially makes the Super Falcons more dangerous than they were before the Malawi defeat.
Zambia therefore do not necessarily need to turn the match into an attacking shootout. With a healthy goal difference already secured against Egypt, controlling the game and avoiding defeat could be extremely valuable.
Nigeria, on the other hand, are under pressure to chase maximum points.
Malawi’s next match against Egypt is equally important. Egypt suffered heavily against Zambia, but Malawi cannot assume another victory simply because of that 6-0 result. Should Malawi beat Egypt, they would move to six points and suddenly become favourites to qualify from a group in which they were initially expected to struggle.
That would make Zambia’s final meeting with Malawi potentially decisive.
The biggest lesson from the opening round is simple: there are no longer any underdogs in Group C.
Malawi have made sure of that.
