The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) wishes to congratulate the U17 Women’s National Team for qualifying for the Dominican Republic FIFA World Cup.

Zambia drew with Morocco 0-0 away in Berkane to qualify 3-1 on aggregate and punch their ticket to the world’s biggest event at under-17 level. FAZ president Andrew Kamanga says the qualification is a resounding testament to the great strides made in the development of the women’s game.

“On behalf of myself and the executive committee, I wish to salute the under-17 girls for their qualification to the Dominican Republic FIFA World Cup. It is yet again an example of the heights our women’s game has soared to,” said Kamanga. “The conscious decision we took just after taking office in 2016 to invest in grassroots football for both women and men has borne fruits.”

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The FAZ chief says the qualification to the World Cup of the U17 girls adds to the fairy tale run of the women’s game that has seen the senior women’s national team qualify for the Olympics twice (2020 & 2024) in a row and achieve the historic FIFA World Cup qualification milestone (2023).

“While our senior women’s national team are thriving, we are even happier that the junior teams are following suit which gives us greater hope for the future. Our 10-year strategic plan is no doubt clear about the growth of youth teams for both men and women,” added Kamanga. “It may be too early to talk about preparations for the World Cup but we will do what we have now made customary to give our teams quality preparations.”

The FIFA Women’s World Cup takes place in the Dominican Republic from 16 October-3 November 2024.
Sixteen teams will compete at the World Cup with Africa represented by three. Zambia last qualified for the u17 World Cup in 2014 in Costa Rica.