Zambia head coach Nora Hauptle believes the Copper Queens have what it takes to spring a surprise against defending champions Nigeria when both sides meet in a crucial 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter on Saturday, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Falcons head into the contest under immense pressure after suffering a shock 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their opening fixture, leaving Eric Chelle’s side with little margin for error.
Zambia, meanwhile, arrive in Casablanca full of confidence after dismantling Egypt 6-0, with captain Barbra Banda stealing the headlines with a stunning four-goal display.
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Speaking during her pre-match press conference, Hauptle insisted her players have learned valuable lessons from previous meetings with Nigeria and are now better equipped to challenge Africa’s most successful women’s national team.
“We never play for a draw, it’s not in our nature,” she said in quotes revealed by Complete Sport.
We always chase for the lead in games. In the last edition we lost against Nigeria in the quarter-finals, we learnt a lot. In our game against Egypt we were flexible, so we can surprise Nigeria.”
Although Nigeria have won three of their four WAFCON meetings with Zambia, including a commanding 5-0 victory in last year’s quarter-finals, the Swiss tactician believes the Copper Queens have made significant strides since then. She pointed to Zambia’s participation in the FIFA Series against higher-ranked opposition as a key factor behind the team’s development and growing belief.
“We have grown as a team. This year we played in the FIFA Series where we faced top 20 oppositions in the world to learn about high-level games and the summary of those learnings makes us stronger and make us grow, so I have a lot of confidence in my team.”
Hauptle also expects a fierce response from the Super Falcons following their opening-day defeat but remains convinced Zambia have both the tactical plan and quality to come away with all three points.
“After losing their first game I believe they will come all out otherwise they will lose out of the tournament. We are aware of their strengths and are prepared for them, focus on ourselves, we have a clear plan how we want to approach them and we believe if we bring our plan and execute it we can challenge and beat Nigeria.”
Saturday’s showdown at the Stade Larbi Zaouli presents a defining moment for both teams. Nigeria are desperate to revive their title defence after an unexpected stumble against Malawi, while Zambia have the chance to build on their emphatic victory over Egypt by claiming what would be only their second-ever competitive win over the Super Falcons.
