Barbra Banda nets four as Zambia humble Egypt in WAFCON opener
Barbra Banda scored four goals as Zambia opened their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a commanding 6-0 victory over Egypt.
Zambia produced a ruthless display to defeat Egypt 6-0 in their opening Group C match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat, moving to the top of the standings ahead of Nigeria’s clash with Malawi later in the day.
The Copper Queens took the lead after 25 minutes when Rachael Nachula converted a penalty awarded after Barbra Banda was fouled. Zambia doubled their advantage on the hour mark through another spot kick, this time confidently dispatched by Banda.
The striker then struck again just three minutes later, finishing from Prisca Chilufya’s assist to put the contest beyond Egypt. Banda completed her hat-trick with three minutes remaining in normal time before Eneless Phiri added a fifth in stoppage time from another Banda assist.
The captain capped a memorable evening by scoring her fourth goal deep into added time, sealing an emphatic victory that underlined Zambia’s title ambitions.
Egypt struggled throughout the contest and were unable to contain Zambia’s attacking quality, suffering one of their heaviest defeats in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history.
