WAFCON 2026: Zambia coach Nora Hauptle questions CAF rules after bizarre WAFCON exit

WAFCON 2026: Zambia coach Nora Hauptle questions CAF rules after bizarre WAFCON exit

Zambia head coach Nora Hauptle has described her team’s elimination from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as “completely weird”, after the Copper Queens were knocked out despite finishing the group stage with the best goal difference in their group.

Despite a 2-1 victory over Malawi in their final Group C match, Zambia’s tournament came to an end. They opened with a 6-0 demolition of Egypt and lost just 1-0 to Nigeria, finishing with six points and a goal difference of +7 – the best in the group.

Yet they are out. Nigeria and Malawi advanced after holding the head-to-head advantage in a three-way tie on six points. Under CAF regulations, when three teams finish level on points, qualification is determined by results in matches between the tied teams.

All three earned three points in those head-to-head matches, and with goal difference also level, goals scored in those specific matches became the deciding factor. Malawi and Nigeria had scored more than Zambia in the mini-league, sealing the Copper Queens’ fate.

Empty. We know the regulations. We were prepared, so we knew exactly that we needed to have a two-goal difference,” Hauptle told the Zambia FA media.

“We scored the most goals in this group, and we conceded the least goals. Sometimes I’m not sure if we do the right things with this kind of regulations because it feels completely weird that we are out,”** she added.

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