Zambia forward Rachael Kundananji says Saturday’s Group C showdown with Nigeria’s Super Falcons will effectively decide both teams’ fate at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The defending champions endured a difficult start to the tournament, suffering a shock 3-2 loss to debutants Malawi. Zambia, by contrast, opened with a dominant 6-0 win over Egypt, setting up a contest with plenty riding on the outcome.

Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Kundananji said morale within the squad is high and the team feels ready, adding that both sides understand this match will make everything either easier or tougher going forward.

Zambia head coach Nora Häuptle, speaking at the same press conference, said her team has no intention of settling for a draw, explaining that chasing the lead is simply part of the team’s identity. She referenced Zambia’s quarter final loss to Nigeria at the previous WAFCON, saying the experience taught the squad valuable lessons that were already visible in the flexibility they showed against Egypt.

Häuptle credited a series of high level friendlies against top 20 ranked nations, played as part of Zambia’s preparations, with accelerating the team’s growth heading into this tournament, saying the lessons from those matches have made her side considerably stronger.