By Angela Bambala Bwalya
Zambia U-17 women’s national team player Jessica Choolwe Johnson believes the Copper Princesses can learn from their disappointing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign and return stronger in future competitions.
Zambia exited the tournament in Morocco without a victory, losing all three Group D matches to finish bottom of the standings with zero points.
The Copper Princesses opened with a 5-0 defeat to Japan before suffering a 3-2 loss to Venezuela. They then concluded their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to France.
Despite the disappointing results, Johnson believes competing against some of the world’s strongest youth teams provided valuable experience for a young Zambian side still developing on the international stage.
“I think it was great, obviously playing hard teams like France, Japan and Venezuela. The competition was tough, so hopefully next time it will be better. It is disappointing because we wanted to win and go to the next round, but I guess it is a learning curve for next time,” Johnson said.
The youngster identified a lack of concentration as one of the areas Zambia must address, arguing that maintaining focus throughout matches will be crucial to improving the team’s performances.
“I think the main one was focus and concentration, especially on the pitch. We would score and then lose concentration, so I think that is something to focus on next time,” she explained.
Zambia’s only goals of the tournament came against Venezuela, when they scored twice but were unable to avoid defeat. The team conceded nine goals across their three matches, underlining the challenge of maintaining defensive discipline against high-level opposition.
Beyond the results, Johnson said the tournament had also offered an opportunity to build relationships with her teammates, learn from others and develop through the experience of competing on the global stage.
“Of course, it is good to be with the girls all the time. It is fun, and you get to learn new things and meet new people,” she said.
On a personal level, Johnson expressed gratitude for the playing time she received during the competition, describing it as a reward for the work she has put in while recognising the need to continue improving.
“It is surprising, but I also put in the work, so I feel as if it is deserved. I am very grateful for the minutes. I will keep working hard at my club and wait for the call to see what happens next,” she said.
Johnson also thanked supporters for standing behind the team throughout the tournament, urging them to remain patient and continue encouraging the young players despite the disappointing outcome.
She singled out senior players, including Copper Queens captain Barbra Banda, as a source of inspiration as she looks to progress in her own career.
“It is obviously great that you guys were supporting us throughout the whole time. We would love for you to keep supporting us. I would love to continue on in the future and do it for you guys,” Johnson said.
For Johnson and her teammates, the challenge now is to turn the lessons from Morocco into tangible progress, with greater concentration, improved consistency and continued development key to Zambia’s ambitions in future international competitions.
