Zambia Under-17 Women’s National Team head coach Carol Kanyemba has shared her thoughts on the Copper Princesses’ group draw for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, set to take place in Morocco.
Zambia has been placed in Group F alongside Japan, New Zealand, and Paraguay for the expanded 24-team tournament, scheduled from October 17 to November 8, 2025.
Kanyemba’s side will face Japan for the second time, having previously suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Asian powerhouse in the Dominican Republic last year.
In an interview, Kanyemba acknowledged the challenge of facing Japan again, noting the strength of their previous opponents.
Kanyemba also described the group as tricky, stressing that no match will be easy.
“A very tricky group with Japan, New Zealand and Paraguay. We meet Japan for the second time – not an easy page because they give us a tough time,” she said.
She added, “Meeting Japan for the second time is not really child’s play, but they give us a good taste, and we had a good run.”
Players are optimistic – Kanyemba
Kanyemba emphasized the need for early preparations to improve on last year’s early exit while commending her players’ determination to go beyond the group stage.
“I bet some of the girls that we came with at the World Cup last year are very positive, and they want to do something better,” she said.
“As coaches, it’s a lot of work, and our video analyst jobs and our job as coaches start now. We need to start preparing for the teams to play against the teams that have been placed in our group. We had our first outing last year, which wasn’t good enough, but regardless of the teams that have been placed in our group, we want to do the best and want to work hard.”
Zambia will be making its third appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, having exited at the group stage in both of their previous tournaments.
