Copper Queens Ready to Hunt as WAFCON 2024 Kicks Off with Morocco Showdown

The Copper Queens of Zambia are primed to launch their TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 campaign with a spirited opener against hosts Morocco on Saturday night at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.

Head coach Nora Häuptle, speaking during Friday’s pre-match press conference, expressed confidence in her team’s readiness following a focused 10-day pre-camp in Casablanca.

“We arrived very early in Morocco, 10 days ago, in Casablanca, where our pre-camp is situated. We had a very good training and the international players arrived early ahead of the competition,” she said. “We had a very closed friendly game that we played there, which went well, and also had a bit of Moroccan culture. So far, all good.”

The opening match promises to be a thrilling encounter, with Morocco, runners-up at the previous edition, eager to avenge their Olympic qualification loss to Zambia. Coached by 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Jorge Vilda, the Atlas Lionesses head into the tournament in top form, boasting four wins from their last five matches.

Zambia, who finished third at the last WAFCON, have had a less consistent build-up, managing only one win in their past five matches. Still, they hold a psychological edge with a better head-to-head record over Morocco and the presence of African superstar Barbra Banda, who is set to make her WAFCON debut.

“There is competition between Zambia and Morocco,” Häuptle said. “We had four games played last two years, and Zambia won the Olympic qualifiers, which makes good memories, but for tomorrow’s game, we start at 0–0.”

Despite being just five months into her role, Häuptle is resolute in her mission and fully embraces the pressure and energy of the opening fixture.

“For me, it’s always a pleasure to start the opening game. I hope that there will be a packed stadium to get this vibrant atmosphere. As head coach, we like this atmosphere and we like to go all out because it’s vibrant,” she said.

Having previously worked with Ghana, Häuptle made it clear her focus is now fully with Zambia. “I worked three years with Ghana, but I am here now, present, my team is Zambia. I know where I belong. I am very excited to lead Zambia in this tournament.”

Her final words set the tone for Zambia’s campaign: “We want to come here to hunt. I think we are all very hungry, the players and I, to hunt for a title. Let’s see tomorrow how our starting performance is.”

The Copper Queens face Morocco tomorrow Saturday, 5 July at 22h00 CAT, before taking on Senegal on 9 July and DR Congo on 12 July in Group A.