THE Zambia Women’s National Team has been exempted from participating in the first round of the Morocco 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers scheduled for next year.

According to the draws conducted yesterday in Cairo, the Copper Queens will begin the qualifiers in the second round, where they will face the winner of the first round qualifier between eSwatini and Namibia.

Zambia was among the six top ranked sides alongside South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire, granted exemption from the first round of qualifiers.

The Copper Queens will be away in the first leg of the second round matches scheduled to take place on October 20, 2025, before hosting either eSwatini or Namibia in the return leg.

The 11 winners from the second round will join hosts Morocco at the WAFCON 2026, which will serve as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027.

CAF allocates four direct World Cup slots to the WAFCON semi-finalists, with an additional two teams advancing to intercontinental playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Under-20 National Team will face Burundi in the second round of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers, with matches scheduled for September 19 and 27 next year.

The winner of the encounter will face either Uganda or Namibia in the third round of the qualification series.

The Zambia U-17 Women’s National Team will enter the race for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 in the second round, where it is set to face the winner of the first round tie between Eswatini and Tanzania.

Fresh from participating in this year’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, the Carol Kanyemba tutored side will hope to make history by securing a consecutive World Cup appearance.

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 will be the first time the tournament will be hosted on African soil and only the second time in an Arab country, following Jordan’s hosting in 2016.