Copper Queens coach Nora Häuptle has offered a grounded and forward-looking assessment following Zambia’s 5-0 defeat to Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024.
Speaking at a post-match press conference at the Larbi Zaouli stadium in Casablanca, Häuptle remained clear-eyed about the areas her team must improve and affirmed her trust in Zambia’s long-term football development.
“We have not been in control in the air, these set pieces. So there we need to find and definitely look for a solution. We knew that Nigeria would deliver a lot of crosses… still, we need to admit there is a lot of room to improve,” Häuptle said.
Despite trailing 3-0 at halftime, the team responded with tactical adjustments aimed at getting back into the game. Häuptle stressed the importance of creating better pathways for young Zambian players to gain international experience.
“How can we develop for our talents a better pathway so that they can go a bit early abroad?… We need to ensure that the path of our talents goes abroad, maybe in a league where they also get playing time,” she noted.
Häuptle did not shy away from the reality of the result but emphasized that the loss must be accepted collectively by players and staff alike.
“None of us has been on top. I think it was a collective loss. We share the victories and we also fall for the same cause,” Häuptle said.
“We are going to go back to Zambia, we are going to go back to work in all the cases and let’s see what happens in the next one.”
With October’s 2026 WAFCON qualifiers against Namibia in sight, the focus now shifts to preparing for future competitions and maintaining the team’s developmental momentum.
“The evolution is visible. But still, 10 games (in charge of the team) is not enough, we need big pictures. The more games we have, the more we can develop,” she noted.
“We are on the growth, we are in good development…We are here to hunt. We will also hunt in the next tournament. So we are hungry.”
FAZ
