Barbra Banda etched her name even deeper into African football history after producing a sensational four-goal performance in Zambia’s 6-0 demolition of Egypt at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Copper Queens captain delivered one of the greatest individual displays ever seen at the tournament, breaking multiple records in the process. Here are the five milestones she achieved.
1. Zambia’s First-Ever WAFCON Hat-trick
Banda became the first Zambian player to score a hat-trick at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Before her historic performance, Zambia’s closest efforts had been:
- Racheal Kundananji’s brace against Equatorial Guinea (2018)
- Grace Chanda’s two goals against Togo (2022)
- Barbra Banda’s brace against Senegal (2025)
Her third goal against Egypt secured a landmark first for the Copper Queens.
2. First Four-Goal Haul at WAFCON in a Decade
By scoring four times, Banda became only the third player in WAFCON history to net four goals in a single match.
She joined an elite list featuring:
- Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria) – four goals against Cameroon in the 2004 final.
- Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria) – four goals against Mali in 2016.
Banda is also the first player to achieve the feat in ten years.
3. Most Prolific Half in WAFCON History
After failing to score in the opening hour, Banda exploded into life by finding the net in the:
- 60th minute
- 63rd minute
- 87th minute
- 96th minute
Those four goals made her the first player ever to score four goals in a single half of a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match.
4. Zambia’s All-Time Leading WAFCON Goalscorer
Her fourth goal of the evening took Banda to seven career WAFCON goals, making her Zambia’s outright leading scorer in the tournament’s history.
She moved ahead of teammate Racheal Kundananji to claim the record.
5. Joint-Most Hat-tricks by an African Player at Major Tournaments
Banda’s latest hat-trick also saw her equal another remarkable record.
She now has four hat-tricks across major international women’s tournaments (Olympic Games, FIFA Women’s World Cup and WAFCON), drawing level with Nigerian legend Perpetua Nkwocha.
Banda’s four major tournament hat-tricks have come against:
- Netherlands (Olympic Games)
- China (Olympic Games)
- Australia (Olympic Games)
- Egypt (WAFCON)
The historic performance further cemented Barbra Banda’s status as one of Africa’s greatest-ever footballers and highlighted her extraordinary ability to deliver on the biggest stage.
