Zambia eliminated from WAFCON group stage, ending 2027 World Cup hopes

Zambia eliminated from WAFCON group stage, ending 2027 World Cup hopes

Economy World


The Zambia women’s national team have failed to reach the knockout stage of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and will thus miss out on competing in the 2027 women’s World Cup.

Despite beating regional rival Malawi 2-1 in their final WAFCON group-stage match Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco, the Copper Queens were eliminated after Nigeria defeated Egypt in the other Group C match. Zambia was eliminated based on the total number of goals scored among the top three teams.

As a result, WAFCON debutants Malawi have reached the knockout stage of the continental tournament and kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The final minutes of both fixtures were climactic. Malawi, Nigeria (who are 10-time and reigning WAFCON champions) and Zambia were all level on six points as both games progressed. This eliminated the head-to-head deciding factor between them in favor of the number of goals each of those teams scored against each other.

Malawi upset Nigeria with a 3-2 victory in their first WAFCON match on July 28, thrusting the Super Falcons in a nervy third-place position in their group following Zambia’s 6-0 victory over Egypt the same day. Nigeria steadied themselves on Aug. 1 with a crucial 1-0 victory over Zambia, but still finished the second matchday in third place behind their opponents. Malawi secured their second victory of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Egypt that kept them top of the group heading into the final match day.

Zambia qualified for the knockout stage in their previous two WAFCON campaigns and began their final group stage match against Malawi with a goal from Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda in the second minute that initially offered the Copper Queens some assurance. That cushion grew in the 37th minute when Zambian forward Prisca Chilufya, who plays for Angel City FC in the NWSL, doubled their lead with a slick finish off a cross.

As it stood by halftime of both matches, Zambia and Nigeria were through to the knockouts, while Malawi were out.

Nigeria ran up their goal tally against Egypt in the second half. Due to an extraordinary series of penalty kicks awarded on both sides (three for Nigeria and one for Egypt) and additional run-of-play heroics from Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday, Cruz Azul forward Uchenna Kanu and BK Hacken forward Joy Omewa, the Super Falcons finished their match 6-2. Because Malawi and Zambia also earned positive results against Egypt, but each lost one match amongst themselves, the tie-breaker then went to head-to-head goal difference.

Two Nigerian players celebrate on the field.

Nigeria made up for an early group stage slip by qualifying for the knockout rounds on the final day. (CAF)

Each team scored as many as they conceded when facing each other in the group stage. Malawi scored and conceded four goals, Nigeria three, and Zambia two, leaving them still tied with head-to-head goal differentials of zero.

So the final decision came down to the number of goals scored in those head-to-head clashes. Malawi with their four goals (three against Nigeria and one against Zambia), and Nigeria with their three goals (two against Malawi and one against Zambia) topped the two Zambia scored against Malawi on Wednesday night, squeezing them out of the knockout round.

Zambia qualified for their first World Cup in 2022 by defeating Senegal 4-2 on penalties in that year’s WAFCON quarterfinals. Grouped with eventual World Cup champions Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Zambia did not advance from their group after losing their first two matches against Japan and Spain, but concluded their campaign with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica.

Nigeria finished second in Group C and will face Cameroon, who topped Group D, in the WAFCON quarterfinals on Aug. 9. First-place finishers Malawi will await the runners-up from Group D, a spot that Ghana, Cape Verde and Mali will contest. The quarterfinal winners will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, while the losers will face off in a final set of matches to determine which two teams advance to FIFA’s intercontinental playoff next year.