The Copper Queens will square off with the Brave Gladiators of Namibia on Wednesday afternoon in a 2026 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
It will be a repeat of the 2022 final round WAFCON qualifier that saw Zambia progressed to the tournament thanks to an away goal.
Coach Nora Elizabeth Häuptle admitted that her team is better than the Brave Gladiators on paper but they have to return to their values, love, unity and passion.
The Copper Queens will host the Brave Gladiators on a return leg on Sunday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium and coach Nora Häuptle has asked the fans to show up in numbers and create a great atmosphere for the match.
“Yeah, basically, as you said on paper, we have better players than Namibia, but we need to prove it and we go back to our values. We always said, Copper Queens, what defines us is that we have love, unity and passion. We called up a 26 list to be prepared for all the circumstances, you know, for travel issues, for, you know, rhythm, to feel which are basically the final 18 players. We can only line up 18 players tomorrow. I think we had a good impression now and found the 18 to do the job tomorrow, probably in the second game, it looks a bit different,” she said.
“My heart always starts to beat when I think about the Lewy Stadium. We expect to have probably 40,000, 50,000, maybe we can even have a sold-out stadium. For me, it’s the most important thing that we fill this stadium, so please come and join us, please support us. It’s very special for me as a coach to jump into this atmosphere, so we are very much looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday in the second leg.”
Meanwhile USA based forward Rachel Kundananji says the team knows how important this game is as it will determine if they go to the WAFCON or not and the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Kundananji says she wants the team to score a lot of goals tomorrow so that it’s easy to finish of the tie at home on Sunday.
“The team is looking forward to tomorrow’s game because it’s an important game and it’s the one which is deciding our fate in the WAFCON and also the World Cup. So our aim is to win the game and not underrating our opponents because every team is becoming stronger every day. So that’s why we are focused and I like the morale that I’ve seen among the players and now they are all working hard,” she said.
“I think including new players can never change the team spirit because it only boosts the spirit because I like the mentality that they have come with. They haven’t come as new players, they have also come as players who want to be included in the team, who are showing that they deserve to be in the team. So I’m so happy to see new faces and for us to focus and to forget about everything and just focus, play tomorrow’s game like it’s the last game that we’ll ever play in our lives. Tomorrow’s game is more important than any other game. I just want us to win with many goals so that it helps us for the next game,” she added.
Red Arrows Women Football Club goalkeeper Catherine Musonda will battle for a place between the sticks with Hazel Natasha Nali who has returned to the set up after two years.
Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club goalkeeper Mwila Mufunte is also available for selection.
Rachel Nachula is expected to start at right back with Xiomara Mapepa likely to play at left since Martha Tembo arrived late last night and Coach Nora may not want to risk her. Pauline Zulu, Memory Nthala and Margaret Belemu also provide options for the said positions.
At the heart of the defense Lushomo Mweemba is expected to partner Blessings Mapalo Maluba to continue where they left off at the WAFCON.
In midfield, Mary Wilombe and Ireen Lungu are expected to partner up with Grace Chanda but with Susan Banda back in the set up, Nora could look to make a different set up.
Other options available include the amazing Evarine Susan Katongo, in-form Natasha Nanyangwe.
Upfront, Bay FC forward Rachel Kundananji is expected to lead the attack and is expected to be joined by ZESCO Ndola Girls star player Eneless Phiri.
Penelope Mulubwa, Ngosa Chabwe, Kabange Mupopo, and Regina Chanda are all available for selection.
Kick off at the 24,000 capacity Dobsonville Stadium is set for 15h00 and Zambia will then host the Brave Gladiators on October 26 in Ndola at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
The winner over two legs will book a ticket to the WAFCON.The top four teams at the WAFCON will qualify to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
