The Scorchers, who will be making their first appearance at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tournament, will face the most successful team in the Super Falcons at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.
Nigeria is Africa’s most successful international women’s football team, having won a record 10 WAFCON titles; their most recent title in 2025, after defeating Morocco in the final.
The team is the only women’s national team from the Confederation of African Football to have reached the quarter-finals in both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Summer Olympics.
They are also one of the few teams in the world and only African team to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with their best performance at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup where they reached the quarter-finals.
Ahead of their Group C opener, the Scorchers tactician admitted his side will face a tall order against Nigeria, but went ahead to say his side is capable of causing an upset.
Malawi not ready to be ‘killed’
“I think what I can say is that we are going there to fight because we cannot go to the battlefield aiming to be killed. We are going there to fight, and I am sure the players are aware of that,” Fazili told reporters as quoted by Malawi FA website.
“Nigeria are the champions, but sometimes history in football can change,” Fazili told reporters as quoted by Malawi FA website ahead the game.
“We have seen before, small teams doing wonders, so we are going there to fight and get something positive out of the game after 90 minutes.”
Fazili further dismissed concerns over the team’s experience, saying the Scorchers have had enough international exposure over the past two years.
“So far so good. Before and after we qualified for WAFCON, we played plenty of international friendly matches. We have played Australia, South Africa and India,” offered the coach.
“When we qualified, it was not an easy task. We fought for it, and definitely we are going to do the same when we play Nigeria.”
Zambia not underrating Egypt
Zambia coach Nora Hauptle has declared her squad’s readiness for their Group C opener against Egypt in Rabat, Morocco, on Tuesday.
Speaking during the pre-match press conference at the Moulay Hassan Stadium on Monday, Hauptle gave all 25 players a clean bill of health adding that they are fit and available for selection.
“We know that we will play our starting game against Egypt, the football nation. We don’t underrate them of course but the focus is very much on us,” said Hauptle.
“We have experience on how to build the energy towards the starting game and we are cool.”
The Swiss tactician further said the team has spent the last few weeks refining its tactical approach, with emphasis on creating space, keeping possession and being able to adjust during the game.
“I would say 25 players in the squad are all fit, ready and also can’t wait to start. We also examined our opposition very well.”
Hauptle said the team is placing greater importance on delivering a strong performance than chasing the result.
She expressed confidence that sticking to the team’s identity and game plan would give Zambia the best chance of making a positive start to the tournament.
“It’s about performance. We are not focused on the results. We always believe that when our performance is well the results will always follow,” offered Hauptle.
Meanwhile, Copper Queens captain Barbra Banda said the focus is now on the players with the technical bench having done its part.
Banda added everyone in camp is focused on the game and determined to start off to a great start.
“The coaches have done their part and it’s now up to us players to deliver. Our focus is on tomorrow game. We will be taking a game at time,” Banda said.
The Zambia versus Egypt fixture will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
