Zambia head coach Nora Häuptle has made it clear that her side must be ready to overcome Nigeria if the Copper Queens are to realise their ambitions at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigeria and Zambia are set to renew a growing rivalry when the tournament kicks off in March, with both teams drawn in Group C alongside Egypt and Malawi.

The group has been described as one of the most competitive at the finals, bringing together Africa’s most successful women’s team and one of the continent’s fastest-rising forces.

The Super Falcons arrive as defending champions and ten-time winners of the competition, having lifted their latest title in emphatic fashion at the delayed 2024 edition.

On their way to that triumph, Nigeria met Zambia in the quarter-finals in Casablanca in a match many expected to be finely balanced.

Instead, the encounter proved one-sided. Nigeria ran out 5-0 winners at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, with Osinachi Ohale opening the scoring inside two minutes. Esther Okoronkwo, Chinwendu Ihezuo, Oluwatosin Demehin and Folashade Ijamilusi all found the net to complete a dominant display.

That result echoed Nigeria’s 4-0 victory over Zambia at the 2018 WAFCON. However, the Copper Queens have also shown they can get the better of the Super Falcons, most notably with a 1-0 win in the third-place match at the 2022 tournament.

Zambia's Häuptle: We need to be able to beat Nigeria

This edition of the WAFCON carries added importance, with the four semi-finalists also booking places at the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Häuptle has acknowledged the scale of the task facing her side but insists Zambia must rise to it.

“The draw gave us a strong group,” the Norwegian tactician said as per ZambiaFootball.

“We will start against Egypt, then we face Nigeria, then our neighbours Malawi.”

While Nigeria are the headline opponents, the Swiss coach stressed that Zambia’s preparation must be broader.

“But for me it’s not only to prepare against Nigeria, it’s not our only opponent,” she added.

“It’s of course an opponent we need to be able to beat when we want to achieve a semi-final, we qualify for the World Cup and we aim to win this tournament, you know. So if you ask me if we have the players, yes we do, we have a squad.

“Egypt is a very different opponent than Nigeria and also our neighbours Malawi, which work more on transition. Those three football-wise are completely different games. And we need to have answers for all the levels, tactics of the opponent we face. So there we get a bit more, how do you say in English, versatile, a bit more flexible, yes.”

Nigeria, meanwhile, are expected to fine-tune their preparations at the invitational WAFU Championship in Abidjan, where they will face Ghana, Senegal and hosts Côte d’Ivoire as they build towards another demanding continental campaign.