Nigeria Thrash Egypt 6-2 to Reach WAFCON Quarter-finals as Zambia Crash Out

Defending champions Nigeria booked a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after a commanding 6-2 victory over Egypt, while Zambia suffered a dramatic group-stage exit despite defeating Malawi 2-1.

The Super Falcons opened the scoring through Asisat Oshoala, who converted a penalty before being forced off with an injury. Goals from Gift Monday, Uchenna Kanu, Christy Ucheibe, Rasheedat Ajibade, and Joy Omewa completed Nigeria’s emphatic win, although Egypt’s Nadeen Ghazy scored twice to reduce the deficit.

The result saw Nigeria finish level on six points with Zambia and Malawi in Group B. However, Zambia were eliminated after the Confederation of African Football applied the tournament’s head-to-head tiebreaker, with Malawi progressing after scoring more goals in matches involving the three tied teams.

Earlier, Zambia looked set to advance after first-half goals from Barbra Banda and Prisca Chilufya secured a 2-1 victory over Malawi. However, Tabitha Chawinga’s second-half goal for Malawi proved decisive, giving the debutants the superior head-to-head goals record needed to qualify.

Nigeria will now face Cameroon in the quarter-finals, while Malawi will take on either Ghana or Mali as the knockout stage of the tournament gets underway.