President Hichilema congratulates Women’s team on qualification to Africa Cup of Nations

President Hakinde Hichilema has congratulated the women’s national team, the Copper Queens, on qualifying for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

 Posting on his Facebook page, the President wrote, “Congratulations to FAZ, technical bench, players and fans for this victory.”

 The Copper Queens gained qualification with a 4-2 victory in the first leg and a resounding 3-0 victory in the return match against Namibia. Zambia become the first nation to qualify for the tournament and citizens will be hoping that they go beyond the quarter final stage that they reached last time.

 The team showed resilience even without star striker Barbra Banda. Coach Nora Haüptle’s instead used an effective attacking partnership of Rachael Kundananji and Rachel Nachula with Kundananji scoring a hatrick in the first leg. Tactically the team showed a great balance of intensity and game management.

 In his statement on Facebook the President congratulated the “FAZ, technical bench, players and fans for this victory.”

 The President’s interest in equality goes beyond female sport. His wider drive to champion women’s empowerment has also included clamping down on child marriage and campaigning to increase the number of female MPs.

 The nation now stands united behind our Copper Queens as they prepare for the tournament which will be held in Morocco between 17 March-3 April 2026.