The Copper Queens will launch their TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 campaign with a clash against hosts Morocco on Saturday.
The Group A fixture will kick off at 22h00 CAT under the lights at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, and will be preceded by an opening ceremony to signal the start of Africa’s premier women’s football competition.
The fixture marks the first-ever meeting between the two sides at WAFCON, but recent history has built a growing rivalry between the Copper Queens and the Atlas Lionesses.
The two teams have faced off five times since 2022, producing exciting and competitive encounters in Zambia and Morocco.
Their most recent meeting came during the CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in April 2024. Morocco edged Zambia 2-1 in Ndola before the Copper Queens responded with a commanding 2-0 victory in Rabat, advancing on aggregate to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In September 2023, Zambia dominated two international friendlies, winning 2-0 and 6-2 against the North Africans. Their only draw came in a 1-1 draw in 2022 at the same Rabat venue during both teams’ preparations for the WAFCON that year, a tournament that saw Zambia finish third and Morocco end as runners-up.
Both teams enter this tournament with high expectations. Zambia, led by Swiss coach Nora Häuptle, arrives in Rabat with a seasoned squad anchored by CAF African Women’s Player of the Year Barbra Banda, along with striker Racheal Kundananji who makes a return after featuring at the 2018 edition.
Morocco, under Spanish coach Jorge Vilda, is aiming to build on their recent rise in global women’s football, and will also want to make use of home ground advantage.
Zambia are making their fourth WAFCON appearance, having previously featured in 2014, 2018 and 2022. Their opening match record stands at a win, draw and a loss in three matches, with the lone defeat coming against Namibia in 2014.
The winner of the first Group A opener will gain early control in a group that also includes Senegal and DR Congo who play on Sunday.
– FAZ –
