Zambia’s Copper Queens and Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors have confirmed their participation in the Four Nations Women’s Tournament which Malawi will host from November 29 to December 2 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) yesterday confirmed the tournament was on, but said Football Association of Zambia and Zimbabwe Football Association had so far responded positively to their invitation.
The association said in a statement: “So far, Zambia and Zimbabwe have confirmed their participation while the fourth team is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.”
The Nation understands that FAM had extended another invitation to South Africa Football Association, but they are yet to respond.
The statement says the tournament will serve as Scorchers, Copper Queens and Mighty Warriors’ preparations for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals set for Morocco in March 2026.
Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili is expected to name his squad for the matches in due course.
In an interview, the coach said the tournament will go a long way in keeping the players in shape ahead of the competition.
He said: “The tournament is very important because the players need to be active between now and March.”
Meanwhile, Mighty Warriors head coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda has named a 30-member squad for the tournament.
Sibanda was yesterday quoted by Zifa website www.zifa.co.zw saying she will use the tournament to expose up-and-coming players. Out of 30 players called, 12 are first time call-ups.
She was quoted as saying: “The squad comprises exclusively players from the Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League.
“Zimbabwe is taking the opportunity of the tournament to introduce and develop emerging talent.”
This will be the second mini tournament organised under the leadership of FAM president Fleetwood Haiya, following the successful hosting of the men’s edition in March 2024.
He announced the women’s football mini tournament last week, saying the association wants to ensure the Scorcher prepare thoroughly for the Wafcon finals.
Said Haiya: “After the Scorchers won the Cosafa Women’s Championship in 2023, we decided to invest more in the team. You never know, this could be the team to take us to the Fifa World Cup.
“Indeed we saw their historic qualification to the Wafcon finals where they stand a chance to make it to the World Cup. We, therefore, want the team to prepare well for that tournament,” he said.
