Zambia’s Copper Queens have been drawn alongside Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Botswana at the 2025 COSAFA Women’s Championship, a tournament set to double as a crucial springboard toward a high-stakes WAFCON campaign and the road to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Zambia’s Women’s National Team, the Copper Queens, will face familiar southern African rivals after being drawn in Group B of the 2025 COSAFA Women’s Championship, scheduled to run from 18 February to 1 March in South Africa.
The two-time champions, who lifted the COSAFA crown in 2022 and successfully defended it in 2024, will come up against Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Botswana as they continue to assert their growing regional dominance. Zambia have been ever-present contenders in recent editions, also reaching the finals in 2019 and 2023, underlining their consistency at this level.
Hosts South Africa headline Group A, where they will contest places with Malawi, Lesotho and Angola. Group C features Mozambique, Namibia and Madagascar, completing a competitive line-up for the regional showpiece.
The Copper Queens will, however, head into the tournament under interim leadership. Head coach Nora Elizabeth Häuptle is set to miss the championship, with her assistant Charles Haalubono expected to take charge of the team on the touchline.
Zambia are also likely to field a side dominated by fringe and emerging players, as the core squad prepares simultaneously for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at an international training camp. The approach reflects a balancing act between immediate competition and long-term continental priorities.
Despite that, COSAFA remains a vital proving ground. For Zambia, the tournament offers a chance to sharpen competitive edge, test squad depth and build momentum ahead of a demanding WAFCON campaign.
The continental showpiece will be staged in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April, with far more than African bragging rights at stake. WAFCON also serves as a qualification pathway to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, significantly raising the pressure and prestige surrounding preparations.
