Chipasula Headlines Zambia’s U-17 Provisional World Cup Squad, Mukoma, Johnson miss out.

Zambia U-17 Women’s National Team head coach Carol Kanyemba has named a 35-player provisional squad for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, set to run from 17 October to 8 November in Morocco.

Rising midfielder Mercy Chipasula, who has already debuted for the senior team and featured at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), headlines the call-ups.

Also included are key qualifier contributors Lweendo Hanongo, Natasha Nkaka, Nana Malanda, Taonga Mubanga, and Masela Sekeseke, while Ruth Mukoma and England-based forward Jessica Choolwe Johnson miss out.

Zambia was drawn in Group F alongside Japan, New Zealand, and Paraguay. They will open their campaign against Paraguay at the Football Academy Mohammed VI on October 19, 2025.

Group F			P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
	1		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—–
	2		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—–
	3		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—–
	4		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—–

This will mark Zambia’s third appearance at the U-17 Women’s World Cup, following their previous campaigns in 2014 and 2024.

The Copper Princesses secured their spot at the tournament after beating Benin 4-1 in Lome, Togo, to claim a 6-2 aggregate win. The Copper Princesses joined Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Nigeria, and host Morocco as Africa’s representative at the tournament this year.

At the 2024 edition held in the Dominican Republic 2024, the Copper Princesses suffered three defeats in three group matches. They also failed to progress beyond the first round at the 2014 Costa Rica tournament, so they will be aiming to break new ground in Morocco.

READ MORE: Why Zambia’s World Cup dream still alive despite Morocco Defeat