HISTORY BECKONS

…as Copper Princesses line up against Canada at U-17 World Cup knockout stage
By BENEDICT TEMBO
ZAMBIA’S Copper Princesses will be playing their first-ever knockout stage game at this level with a match against Canada in Rabat at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025.
Zambia secured their progress on the last day in Group ‘F’ in remarkable as one of the top third-placed teams with victory over New Zealand.
Zambia made a false start by losing 2-1 to Paraguay in the opening match – scoring all the three goals, two of them being own goals.
Zambia then lost the second match – a 2-0 defeat to Japan but rebounded with a sound 4-0 bashing of New Zealand last Saturday.

So memorable was the victory because it was Zambia’s first win at a FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which also secured a place in the Round of 16 as one of the top third-placed teams.
As the Copper Princesses stroll the Football Academy Mohammed VI in the Match 38 of the tournament, they will be hoping to make history again and make it for the quarter-finals this Saturday.
Winning tonight’s match will reward them a dream fixture from the winners of the Match 37 encounter between Brazil and China.
Focus will be on Victoria Mbali, Zambia’s number 10, who has been instrumental in getting her team through to the round of 16.
Mbali, virtually unknown before this tournament, has been the Copper Queens’ driving force.
She scored the early lead in the opener against Paraguay and then added the first in the decisive victory over New Zealand before adding to her overall strong performance with an assist on the African team’s second goal.
The Copper Princesses are up against Canada, who finished off their perfect record in the group stage with a narrow – and slightly lucky – 2-1 victory over France after strong performances against Nigeria and Samoa.
“We’ve been talking about how every game we get better and better and we keep working, we keep building and we’re going for the top,” Canada coach Jen Herst told FIFA.
“That’s our aim coming in and it doesn’t change.”
Zambia meanwhile were the last team to make it through. After two defeats, they finished off strong with a 4-0 victory against New Zealand and will want to take that momentum into the next round.

While the Copper Princesses boast of Mbali, the Canadians have a secret weapon in Bridget Mutipula.
According to FIFA, Mutipula already has some professional experience under her belt and has taken that to Morocco, where she leads her team on the pitch as the “connector,” as her coach told FIFA.
Herst elaborated: “She talks to everybody and connects everybody.”
Fun fact: She was born in Zambia and moved to Canada at the age of four, which makes this clash a special match-up for her.
All to play for this evening