Zambia U17 Women’s National Team coach Carol Kanyemba says her side is focused and ready to make history as they face Benin in a FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup third round qualifier on Saturday at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Speaking during the pre-match press conference alongside team captain Mercy Chipasula, Kanyemba acknowledged the pressure on her squad, especially with the success of the U17 boys’ team who recently qualified for the World Cup.
“It’s a lot of pressure being at this stage because there is history at stake to be made, but we have been working on the girls and helping them to focus on the game at hand which can help us make this history,” Kanyemba said.
“The U17 boys have qualified for the World Cup now, so it gives us a lot of pressure to emulate what they have done so that the celebrations that we had in December (2024) when we both won the COSAFA trophies will be continued at a World Cup level.”
Kanyemba emphasized the importance of taking full advantage of the home fixture to boost the team’s chances of qualifying for a second consecutive FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. “We are telling our girls to be focused on getting maximum points especially when we play at home so that it gives an opportunity for us to qualify for back-to-back World Cups,” she added.
The coach also paid tribute to fans and stakeholders supporting the team and the development of the girl child in sport. “We call on the support of the fans that are coming in numbers to cheer on their daughters, sisters, players from different teams who have allowed the girls to come here. We appreciate the support they have given the girl child, it’s not easy to allow a girl child to leave home to play football,” Kanyemba said.
“We appreciate their support and in turn we need to give them a good game and good results, that is the only satisfaction and appreciation that we can show to the support that they have always rendered to us so we can assure them that we shall give them a great game compared to the previous one.”
Team captain Mercy Chipasula, who has a goal and two assists in three Copper Queens matches, echoed her coach’s sentiments, stressing the importance of securing a strong result at home. “We need to work hard. We need to win at all costs. Away games are never easy, so we need to score as many goals as possible to avoid any away hiccups,” Chipasula said.
“We want to go back to the World Cup. I am captain of the team now, so I want to lead the team to the World Cup. Saturday’s game will be important for us.”