The Zambia U17 Women’s National Team coach Carol Kanyemba last week named a 36 member provisional squad in readiness for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025.
Kanyemba has retained the core of the squad that earned the back-to-back ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025, which will take place from 17 October to 8 November 2025.
The team is currently in camp preparing for the 9th edition of the international women’s youth football championship.
Missing on the list of players summoned is Aston Villa player, Jessica Choolwe Johnson which has caused an uproar on social media.
Some fans are blaming the technical bench for Jessica Choolwe Johnson’s omission but the ZamFoot Crew understands that the technical bench wanted the youngster in the squad and it was not their decision.
The ZamFoot Crew has learned that Aston Villa are the ones who refused to release their player for National Team duty.
“The technical bench wanted Jessica in camp but the team ‘Aston Villa’ refused to release her. Remember she has been busy with school and she has not been too active hence the club deciding against releasing her,” a source told the ZamFoot Crew.
“The club wants her to focus on her training program with them and the prolonged time away is not something the club is willing to accept,” the sources added.
Kanyemba and the technical bench have been impressed with the British born 15 year old midfielder.
In April, Kanyemba heaped praise on Choolwe after she was subbed on in the 66th minute against Benin in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier, which ended 2-1 in favor of Zambia at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
“Since the time she came, up to now, she’s been improving in every game. Our game is different from the games that they play in Aston Villa; ours is very physical and strong, and she liked that in the beginning, so we knew playing on a muddy pitch [in the previous game] required a lot of energy, which we obviously [thought] she couldn’t give her best,” Kanyemba she said.
“From every training session and every game that she’s played, she’s picking up and getting better. She almost had a goal [today] when she was introduced, and I think she did quite well.”
Johnson made her debut for the Copper Princesses in March. She was a second half substitute for the Copper Princesses in their 3-0 win over Tanzania in the first leg, second round Morocco 2025 World Cup qualifier.
In May, Jessica Choolwe Johnson was excused to attend to her final year school commitments.
The local camp kicked off last Sunday and the team will be in camp until the start of the tournament next month.
The team will have an international camp in the final stages of preparation for the tournament where they are perched in Group F alongside Japan, New Zealand and Paraguay.
Zambia opens its account on 19 October against Paraguay at the Football Academy Mohammed V1 before facing Japan three days later at the same venue with the final group match on 25 October.
The Copper Princesses are making a return to the FIFA World Cup for a record third time having been at the biggest showpiece in 2014, 2024 and 2025.
Group F will be based in Salé, which is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg River.
