Jessica Johnson Appreciates Zambian Fans After U-17 World Cup Journey

Zambia U17 Women’s National Team forward Jessica Johnson says the Copper Princesses gained valuable lessons from their 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup campaign despite failing to progress beyond the group stage.

Zambia competed in Group D against France, Japan and Venezuela, facing challenging opposition at the global tournament. Although the team fell short of its ambition to reach the next round, Johnson believes the experience will help the young players prepare for future competitions.

“I think it was great, obviously playing hard teams like France, Japan, and Venezuela,” Johnson said. “The competition was tough, so hopefully next time it’ll be better. Yes, obviously it is disappointing, we wanted to win, we wanted to go to the next round, but I guess it’s just a learning curve for next time.”

The forward identified concentration and focus as key areas requiring improvement, particularly after scoring goals during matches.

“I think the main one was focus and concentration, especially on the pitch like we would score and then we would lose concentration. So I think that would be something to focus on next time,” she said.

Johnson also expressed gratitude for the playing time she received, crediting her preparation and hard work ahead of the competition.

“It’s surprising, but also I put in the work so I feel as if it’s deserved, and I’m very grateful for the minutes,” she reflected.

Beyond the matches, she valued the friendships and lessons gained from representing Zambia. She also praised senior Copper Queens star Barbra Banda, whom she has watched play, and thanked supporters for their continued encouragement.

“I’ve watched some of the games obviously there’s Barbra Banda there, who’s great, obviously she doesn’t play in Zambia—so I watched some of her games. It’s obviously great that you guys were supporting us throughout the whole time, we would also love for you to keep doing that. Thank you guys for your support, obviously I wouldn’t be here without you guys and I would love to continue on in the future!” Johnson said.

Johnson now hopes to build on the experience and continue developing her game as she targets future opportunities with the national team.