The Zambia Women’s U-17 National Team continues its push for back-to-back FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup qualification this Saturday when they host Benin in the final round of qualifiers at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

The Copper Princesses are aiming for their third appearance at the global tournament, with hopes of improving on last year’s campaign in the Dominican Republic, where they exited at the group stage after losing to Brazil, Poland, and Japan, 1-0, 0-2, and 1-4, respectively.

Under the guidance of coach Carol Kanyemba, Zambia reached this stage after a commanding 4-0 aggregate win over Tanzania in the previous round. The 2024 edition of the World Cup will be held in Morocco later this year.

FAZ Appeal To Fans

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has urged fans to rally behind the team on Saturday.

“The Under-17 women were at the last FIFA World Cup in the Dominican Republic, where Zambia made its second appearance after the 2014 class. The 2024 generation has a chance to make history with back-to-back qualification to the world’s biggest stage, with Benin standing in their way,” said Kamanga. “A return to the World Cup will give the team a chance to improve on their record at their last appearance, where they exited at the first stage.”

“We can only appeal to fans to turn up in numbers to support our lasses at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, which is the only CAF/FIFA certified venue in our country. Our Under 17 boys have already set the tempo this year with World Cup qualification,” he added.

The girls will hope to emulate the U-17 boys, who recently qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup after reaching the quarter-finals of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, despite falling 6-1 to Burkina Faso in the knockout stage.

The 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will run from 17 October to 18 November in Morocco.

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