The Zambia U17 Women’s National Team will be returning to the U17 Women’s World Cup in October which will be their third appearance at the global showpiece.
Zambia made its maiden appearance in 2014 before making a second appearance ten years later and will now be heading to Morocco for a third tournament.
The 2014 squad had the likes of Martha Tembo, Hazel Nali, Margaret Belemu, Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda who are now the cornerstone of the Copper Queens squad.
Former Copper Princesses’ Team manager Clementina Mazuba is full of fond memories from 2014 in Costa Rica when the team made its debut at the global stage.
Mazuba says the team had to overcome a lot of challenges and difficulties to achieve that goal but believes the memories of that first World Cup appearance will live with the team forever.
“As a proud Team Manager who started with the U17 Women’s Team to the Copper Queens now, the 2014 qualification for the U17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica was an exhilarating experience,” she said.
“Some of my fondest memories were the team’s camaraderie and teamwork at the tournament. We had to overcome challenges and obstacles to achieve this goal and most importantly, the pride and joy of representing Zambia on the global stage is something that will stay with us forever.”
The Copper Queens recently qualified to back to back Olympics and made their debut at the Senior Women’s World Cup in 2023 which Manager Mazuba feels is a remarkable feat.
On the other hand players like Barbra Banda have become world stars, with back to back Ballon D’or nominations, a BBC Women’s World player of the year accolade, CAF Women’s player of the year crown among many other gongs.
“It’s remarkable to see how far the team has come, with back-to-back Olympics and a World Cup appearance. The progress and achievements of individual players, such as Barbra Banda, are truly inspiring,” Mazuba said.
With coach Carol Kanyemba’s side returning to the global showpiece in less than 60 days, Mazuba feels the goal should be to continue building the team’s momentum as a pathway to success.
“The goal is to continue building on their momentum and success, develop their skills and game further as well as inspire and empower more young girls and women in Zambia to pursue football careers. We are really looking forward to the U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.”
The 2025 U17 Women’s World Cup will be the 9th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the international women’s youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA.
It will be hosted by Morocco. It will be the first time the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is to be held in Africa and the second Arab country to host it after Jordan in 2016.
It will be the first edition to feature 24 teams and be played annually. It will also be the first of five consecutive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups to be held in Morocco.
