Nora Hauptle’s side will test themselves against Algeria before travelling straight to Morocco alongside the very rivals they’ll face in Group C.
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Zambia’s Copper Queens will play two warm-up friendlies against Algeria this month as they finalise preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, according to Complete Sports.
The friendlies are set for Sunday, 19 July and Wednesday, 22 July. Head coach Nora Hauptle’s squad departs for Algeria on Monday, 13 July to begin that camp, and once the friendlies wrap up, both Zambia and Algeria will fly to Morocco together on the same flight for the tournament proper.
A Testing Group C Awaits
Zambia were drawn in Group C alongside defending champions Nigeria, regional rivals Malawi and Egypt, setting up a demanding path through the group stage. They open their campaign against Egypt at the Stade Olympique de Rabat on Tuesday, 28 July.
Their second group fixture, against the Super Falcons, follows at Stade El Barid in Rabat on Saturday, 1 August, before they close out the group against Malawi in Rabat on Wednesday, 5 August.
This will mark Zambia’s fifth appearance at the WAFCON finals, and the Algeria friendlies give Hauptle a final opportunity to fine-tune her squad before facing three sides with genuinely different profiles in the group phase.
📌 Did You Know?
- Zambia’s Copper Queens reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, their best result at that level.
- Nora Hauptle previously managed Switzerland’s women’s national team before taking charge of Zambia.
- This will be Zambia’s fifth appearance at the WAFCON finals tournament.
- All three of Group C’s later fixtures for Zambia are scheduled at Rabat venues, avoiding extensive travel during the group stage.
- Algeria are using the same friendly window to sharpen their own preparations before the tournament begins.
