By FAZ Media
Copper Queens’ head coach Nora Häuptle says Zambia will use Wednesday’s second and final international friendly against Algeria to fine-tune the squad before heading to the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations(WAFCON) in Morocco.
The Copper Queens have been in Algiers for a week-long training camp and drew 1-1 with Algeria in their first friendly on Sunday.
The team wraps up its preparations with another meeting against the North Africans at Mustapher Tchaker Stadium in Blida before travelling to Morocco on Thursday.
Häuptle said Sunday’s match gave her technical bench the chance to assess every available player despite a slow start caused by the difficult conditions.
“The Sunday game was good for us because it allowed us to expose all the 19 players we currently have here. We struggled a bit at the start because we needed to adapt to the hot conditions, but we settled well, got back into the game, enjoyed possession and looked stable in different structures,” said Häuptle.
Häuptle explained player management will be the main focus ahead of the final friendly as the technical bench continues to monitor fitness levels.
She said the staff will assess every player before kickoff to manage workloads and avoid injuries, especially for those who joined the camp late and are still recovering from travel.
Häuptle welcomed the arrival of captain Barbra Banda, saying her presence has lifted the squad even though she is still adjusting after her journey.
“She had a good flight and arrived yesterday. We have to find the right balance because she hasn’t had enough time to adapt. We want to get her onto the pitch without overloading her and risking injury, but her presence makes a difference,” she said.
The coach also confirmed that Ochumba who has linked up with the team, is expected to get more minutes after featuring during the June international window.
Wednesday’s match will give the technical bench one final opportunity to assess the squad before the Copper Queens shift their focus to the WAFCON finals in Morocco.
The match will be played at 18h00 local time (19h00) Zambian time.
