Scorchers Seek Redemption Against Copper Queens in Must-Win Showdown

The air inside Bingu National Stadium will be thick with tension on Sunday afternoon when Malawi’s Scorchers face Zambia’s battle-tested Copper Queens in what has become a must-win encounter for the tournament hosts.

Just 48 hours after the bitter taste of a 1-2 defeat to Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors, coach Lovemore Fazili’s squad finds itself at a crossroads. Win, and their championship dreams remain alive on home soil. Lose, and Morocco-bound preparations begin under the shadow of disappointment.

Fazili, leaning forward in his pre-match interview, his voice carrying the weight of Friday’s loss, made his intentions clear: this will not be a game for experimentation.

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“Playing Zambia tomorrow is a totally different game,” he said, the memory of missed chances against Zimbabwe still fresh. “We will use a team that will definitely participate in the WAFCON Finals in Morocco. This is no dress rehearsal—this is about redemption.”

The coach paused, measuring his words carefully. “Whoever steps onto that pitch tomorrow will give their level best. With yesterday’s loss burning inside them, they’ll find an extra gear.”

The problem Fazili identified was surgical in its precision: finishing. His attackers created opportunities against the Mighty Warriors but couldn’t convert when it mattered. In tournament football, such wastage is often fatal.

The Zambian Threat

Across the pitch, Copper Queens assistant coach Charles Halubono dismissed any notion that his team would take Malawi lightly, despite their opponents’ Friday stumble.

“This is WAFCON preparation—we take it deadly seriously,” Halubono said. “Yes, we had a difficult result recently”—a pointed reference to their shocking 3-2 loss to these same Scorchers in Lusaka—”but this will be a totally different game.”

The statement hung in the air like a challenge. Zambia, multiple-time WAFCON participants, carry the experience and pedigree that Malawi is only beginning to build. But recent history suggests the gap is closing faster than anyone expected.

When Racheal Kundananji speaks, people listen. The US-based forward, who shares a league with Malawi’s own Temwa Chawinga, understands the rivalry’s evolution better than most.

“It won’t be an easy game,” she said, her respect for the opposition evident. “Malawi is getting better—not just them, but the whole southern part of Africa. The 10-0 margins we used to see? Those days are gone.”

Her words captured something profound: women’s football in the region is undergoing a revolution. Investment is flowing. Standards are rising. The gap between traditional powers and emerging nations is shrinking with each tournament.

“For teams to get better, it’s the support we’re receiving,” Kundananji continued. “People must invest in women’s football. It has proven itself to all of us.”

The Mathematics of Survival

The tournament standings tell a simple story: Zimbabwe sits atop the table with three points from their opening victory. Malawi has zero. Zambia, yet to play, watches and waits.

For the Scorchers, the calculation is brutal in its simplicity: anything less than victory on Sunday effectively ends their championship hopes before their home fans. A draw might keep mathematical possibilities alive, but in tournament football, momentum is everything—and momentum belongs to those who win.

Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors will face Zambia on Tuesday in what could be the tournament decider, but only if Sunday’s results cooperate.

This is uncharted territory for Malawian women’s football. The WAFCON Finals qualification was historic—a first-time achievement that has energized a nation. The Three-Nations tournament was meant to be a celebration, a showcase, a confidence-builder before Morocco.

Instead, after one match, it has become a test of character.

Can Fazili’s attackers find the clinical edge they lacked against Zimbabwe? Will the home crowd, nursing Friday’s disappointment, roar their team to victory or sit in anxious silence? Can Malawi stand toe-to-toe with a Zambian side that has walked the WAFCON stage multiple times?

Sunday evening at Bingu National Stadium will provide the answers.

Malawi head into Sunday’s encounter with mixed recent form, having won three, drawn one, and lost one of their last five matches across all competitions. The Scorchers recorded back-to-back victories over Lesotho, secured a win and a draw against Angola, before falling to Zimbabwe.

Zambia, meanwhile, arrive in stronger form with four wins and one defeat in their last five outings. The Copper Queens have beaten Namibia twice, along with victories over the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal, with their only blemish a loss to Nigeria.

The historical matchup between the neighbors is evenly balanced. Malawi have won three of the last eight meetings, including a 4-2 victory in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, a 2-1 triumph at the 2023 COSAFA Cup in South Africa, and a 3-2 friendly win earlier this year.

Zambia hold four wins in the same period, including a commanding 7-0 victory in 2012, a 3-2 win in 2021, and back-to-back 2-0 victories at the 2022 COSAFA Cup and in a friendly match earlier this year.