Copper Queens to Regroup after Wafcon Exit

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says it will regroup the Copper Queens after their elimination from the group stage of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), despite winning two of their three matches.

FAZ President Keith Mweemba says the players and the technical bench gave their best throughout the tournament and that the team’s elimination was due to the competition’s regulations.

Mweemba says Zambia’s exit came under unique circumstances that had to be accepted as part of the rules of the game.

The Copper Queens finished the group stage with six points after recording two wins and one defeat. Zambia also scored the most goals in the group while conceding the fewest but narrowly missed out on a place in the quarterfinals after the application of CAF’s tie-breaking rules.

Mweemba says Group C proved to be the tournament’s “group of death” and that FAZ will now turn its attention to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualifiers, where Zambia will face Uganda in the first of five qualifying rounds beginning in October.

He says FAZ will conduct a comprehensive review of the WAFCON campaign to strengthen preparations for future competitions.

The 2026 WAFCON also serves as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semifinalists securing automatic qualification.