Rabat – Barbra Banda scored four times as Zambia opened their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Egypt at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
Rachel Nachula gave Zambia the lead from the penalty spot in the 25th minute before Banda took control of the match after half-time.
The Zambia captain converted another penalty in the 60th minute and struck again three minutes later to move the Copper Queens into a commanding 3-0 lead.
Banda completed her hat-trick in the 87th minute before substitute Eneless Phiri added Zambia’s fifth goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
The Orlando Pride striker then scored her fourth goal of the evening in the 96th minute, completing a comprehensive victory for Nora Häuptle’s team.
The result represented an ideal beginning for Zambia, who entered the competition among the teams expected to challenge defending champions Nigeria, hosts Morocco and former winners South Africa for the continental title.
Zambia dominate in Rabat
Zambia controlled 62% of possession and registered 34 attempts, including 12 on target. Egypt managed five shots, three of which tested goalkeeper Hazel Nali.
The Copper Queens also earned eight corners, while Egypt failed to win any during a match largely played on Zambia’s terms.
Egypt remained within one goal at half-time but could not contain Zambia after the restart. Banda’s two goals in three minutes effectively settled the contest before her late double placed further distance between the teams.
Zambia had arrived in Morocco seeking their first Women’s AFCON title. Their best previous performance came in 2022, when they defeated Nigeria in the third-place match to secure their first podium finish in the competition. They were eliminated by eventual champions Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the previous edition.
Difficult return for Egypt
Egypt were playing at the continental finals for the first time in 10 years and making only their third appearance overall.
The North African side had previously competed in 1998 and 2016 but failed to progress beyond the group stage on either occasion. Their only Women’s AFCON victory before the current tournament came against Zimbabwe in 2016.
Mohamed Kamal’s team must now recover quickly before facing tournament debutants Malawi in their second Group C match on Saturday, August 1.
Zambia face a considerably more difficult test against defending champions Nigeria later the same evening. Their final group fixture will be against Malawi on August 5, while Egypt conclude their campaign against Nigeria.
The top two teams in Group C will progress to the quarter-finals, with the tournament’s four semi-finalists qualifying directly for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
