Copper Princesses Thrash DR Congo 5-0 in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifier

23.05.2026 | Football DNA

The Zambia Under-17 Women’s National Team delivered a commanding performance on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 5-0 in the first leg of the second round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

Playing in front of an energetic home crowd, the Copper Princesses dominated proceedings from the opening whistle and showed their attacking intent throughout the match.

Zambia opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Grace Phiri, who calmly finished to give the hosts a deserved lead. The Copper Princesses continued to pile pressure on the Congolese side, and Natasha Kasema doubled the advantage just before halftime to send Zambia into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Kasema returned for the second half in sensational form, scoring twice more to complete a brilliant hat-trick and extend Zambia’s lead to 4-0. Her clinical finishing and movement proved too much for the visitors to handle.

Deep into stoppage time, Blessings Mutale added further gloss to the scoreline after converting from the penalty spot to seal an emphatic 5-0 victory for the Copper Princesses.

The return leg will now be played away in DR Congo, with the winner over two legs set to face either Ethiopia or Burundi in the next round of the qualifiers.

Despite the convincing win, Zambia coach Carol Kanyemba insisted that the job is far from finished.

Speaking during the post-match press conference, Kanyemba urged her players to remain focused ahead of the second leg.

“We know that this game is not yet over. It is a game of two halves. We have just played the first half here at home and we need to remain focused and we need to manage the game very well. We need to work also on the players’ mindset so that they don’t become complacent because of the 5-0,” Kanyemba said.

Kanyemba, however, praised the team’s improvement compared to their performances in the previous round against Rwanda, while also admitting that there are still areas that need improvement before the trip to DR Congo.

Meanwhile, DR Congo coach Baylon Kabongolo admitted that the heavy defeat has made the task ahead extremely difficult.

Kabongolo attributed the result to inadequate preparation, revealing that his side only had four days of training camp before facing Zambia.

“We could have done better unfortunately we only had four days of training in camp. In Lubumbashi we can win the game but to reverse the situation will be difficult. Yes, in football this can happen but it will be a miracle,” Kabongolo said.

The Copper Princesses will now shift focus to the second leg as they aim to secure qualification to the next stage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.