Zambia U-17 Girls One Step Away from Historic Third Straight World Cup Qualification
The Zambia Under-17 Women’s National Team will look to complete the job on Sunday when they face Ethiopia in the second leg of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final qualifying round.
The Copper Princesses head to Addis Ababa with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg and are just 90 minutes away from securing a historic third consecutive appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
Despite holding the advantage, head coach Carol Kanyemba insists her side will approach the return fixture as a completely new contest.
“This is a very important fixture because it’s the last hurdle that will take us back to the World Cup. We have everything to protect and we need to concentrate as much as possible, get the desired result and make the country proud,” Kanyemba said.
The coach has urged her players to put the first-leg victory behind them and remain fully focused on the task ahead.
“The win at home is water under the bridge. We are telling the girls to forget about it because the game in Ethiopia will be a totally different match, and that’s what will determine how far we go in these qualifiers,” she said.
“If we keep thinking about our lead, it could disturb our game plan. Our objective is to go to Ethiopia, finish the job, score as many goals as possible and defend what we already have.”
Kanyemba believes another qualification would further demonstrate the remarkable progress of women’s football in Zambia and inspire more young girls to pursue the sport.
“Qualifying again will be testament to the development women’s football has achieved in Zambia. It will show that we are progressing, doing something right and remaining consistent,” she said.
“Qualifying for the World Cup three times in a row is not an accident. It reflects the growth and consistency of our programme, while giving hope and motivation to the next generation of young footballers.”
The winner of the tie will book a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
