Zambia defender Margret Belemu insists they will be under no pressure when they kick off their campaign at the Fifa Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

The Copper Queens are in Group C alongside Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica and will make their debut against Japan at the FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand on Saturday.

Ahead of the fixture, Belemu said: “We don’t have the pressure that teams are looking at us as underdogs. All we are looking at as Copper Queens is to compete at the World Cup. We are not here for names.”

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Belemu pointed out the team’s recent friendly matches as a huge boost to their quest to do well in the tournament, saying: “Am very excited about the tournament, and we are ready for it as a team and we are very much ready for the tournament,” adding: “And we have done well, in each and every game we played we were improving.”

On playing against Japan, the 2011 World Champions in the opener, Belemu said: “Always at the tournament, it’s very important to pick three points in the first game to give us more motivation. It will be very tough because Japan has got good quality players all we need to do as a team is be focused, determined, and remain disciplined in our playing. I will push more to bring a lot of impact at the back.”