‘Copper Queens vision is to clinch WAFCON trophy’ – Nora Häuptle

Photo Credit - FAZ Media.

Copper Queens head coach Nora Häuptle as set the target of winning the 15th edition of the CAF TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) scheduled for Morocco from July 5 to July 26, 2025.

Zambia will come up against hosts Morocco, Senegal, and DR Congo in Group A. The Copper Queens will be looking to better their previous best record when they reaped bronze at the 2022 WAFCON held in Morocco.

“The vision is to win the WAFCON and that is why I am here, that is what’s motivating us overall but we cannot just announce that we are going to win but we need to know what steps to take in order to achieve our objective,” said Häuptle as quoted by Bola News.

“We have to win the tournament per game so that is the graduation and it gives us the objective. It is an individual responsibility they would have to take, in pre-camp and at the group stage so you know that we split it a bit.

“We create a pathway, and we tick that we have done this and I believe when we do all those steps properly, yes we have the potential of winning the WAFCON but it’s will not happen on purpose.”

It will be another battle against the Atlas Lionesses after the Copper Queens defeated Morocco in the Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers, and matches between the two sides are not easy.

Zambia will also renew their rivalry with Senegal, a team they defeated in the quarter-finals of the 2022 WAFCON en route to their highest-ever success at the biggest women’s football showpiece in Africa.

Group B comprises Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana while defending champions South Africa will battle Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania in Group C.

The three groups of four teams each will produce the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stages.