Nigeria’s ambition of winning its 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title at the ongoing WAFCON in Morocco will be put to a stiff test by Zambia’s Copper Queens, who are rated as tough as the best sides in the continent.

The Super Falcons have had a relatively easy ride in the current campaign, beating Tunisia 3-0, going through the motions in a 1-0 defeat of Botswana and settling for a draw with Algeria in the group stage of the championship. They cannot afford a loss today as that would put an end to their ambition. The loser in the tie will go home, while the winner will progress to the semifinals.

At the pre-match briefing yesterday in Casablanca, Super Falcons’ Head Coach, Justine Madugu,
assured Nigerians that his girls were mentally, psychologically and tactically ready to confront the Copper Queens in Friday’s potentially-explosive game.

The teams will clash at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium from 5.00 p.m. Morocco time (same as in Nigeria) in a match that promises a lot of firecrackers, and could have extensive ramifications for the architecture of authority of African women football.

“We are working on our strategies offensively and defensively, having watched Zambia play and having taken note of their strengths and weaknesses individually and collectively. We know the key players of Zambia that are being mentioned and the threats they can pose if they are given opportunities, so we have spoken to the players that they must be fully-ready.

“There will be no room for errors. We must be alert at all times and have self-belief and confidence, and be motivated to achieve victory as we get close to the accomplishment of Mission X.”

Coach Nora Häuptle’s Zambia are rated among the top sides in African women football. The team are one of the few sides to have featured at both the World Cup and the Olympic Games, with their top star, Barbra Banda, one of the current biggest stars in the African game.

The Orlando Pride’s star, who dethroned Asisat Oshoala, as African Footballer of the Year is performing at a level that will see her compete for the Ballon d’Or before too long.

Her three goals were instrumental to taking Zambia to the quarterfinal and now she has promised to ginger her mates to raise the bar against Nigeria after several years of consistent progress in the women’s game.

Africa’s all-time top scorer at the Olympics, Banda made headlines in 2021 when she scored back-to-back hat-tricks against the Netherlands and China. But a game against Nigeria is never going to be easy for any African team and she knows it.

“I won’t focus on the past. I’m here, in the present, doing my best, focusing on our principles, our values, and taking each game very seriously,” she said in a pre-match interview published by ESPN.

Having dethroned Oshoala as Africa’s top player, Banda now has the opportunity to dump the six-time Women’s Footballer of the Year out of the Nations Cup when Zambia and Nigeria collide on Friday.

“Meeting big stars like Asisat is motivation, it just keeps me moving up and doing more, doing better,” Banda noted, clearly unfazed by the prospect of a knockout game against Africa’s most successful side.

“She’s a good player, she was there before me, and I give her a lot of respect, but tomorrow’s game is open to everybody.”

For Nigeria, who are yet to concede in the tournament, the prospect of having to neutralise both Banda and her strike partner Racheal Kundananji – known collectively as ‘Bandananji’ – represents a far greater challenge than they’ve encountered to date in the tournament.

The winner of the match between Nigeria and Zambia will progress to the semifinals to confront the winner of the encounter between Cup holders South Africa and Senegal. On the other side of the draw are the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco (who are also ambitious, dedicated, well-organized and fearless) and the never-to-be-underrated Lady Fennecs of Algeria.