Bittersweet Victory As Copper Queens Exit WAFCON Despite Malawi Proceed Quarter Finals

The Copper Queens’ journey at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) came to a heartbreaking end despite securing victory in their final Group C fixture, as the tournament’s tiebreaking rules saw Zambia miss out on a place in the quarter-finals.

The final Group C standings produced a rare three-way tie, with Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia finishing level on points. Under the competition regulations, the head-to-head results between the tied teams were used before overall goal difference to determine the final rankings.

Nigeria claimed top spot after defeating Zambia in their group meeting, while Malawi finished second to secure the other automatic quarter-final berth. Although Zambia recorded an important win in their final match, the Copper Queens fell short on the head-to-head tiebreak calculations among the three tied teams.

The narrow elimination was a bitter blow for Zambia, who produced several impressive performances throughout the tournament and remained in contention until the final whistle of the group stage.

Despite their fighting spirit and determination, the margins proved incredibly fine in one of the most competitive groups of the competition.

While the result brings the Copper Queens’ WAFCON campaign to an end, the team once again demonstrated its quality against some of Africa’s strongest sides.

Attention will now turn to future international assignments as Zambia looks to build on the positives from the tournament and continue its growth on the continental stage.