2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Heavy defeat for Zambia; Ghana powerless against Norway

Zambia and Ghana both stumbled in their opening matches of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. The Zambians were soundly beaten by Japan (0–5), while the Ghanaians fell to Norway (0–3).

Ghana was caught off guard by a determined Norwegian side looking to make amends. Following a 2025 tournament in which they suffered three defeats without scoring a single goal, the Scandinavians got their campaign in Morocco off to a perfect start with a 3–0 victory over the Black Maidens.

The Norwegians made their intentions clear early on. In just the 6th minute, Isabella Lepore opened the scoring with a stunning strike from 30 meters out. Seven minutes later, Maia Melgård doubled the lead, curling a left-footed shot into the net following a well-worked team move.

Despite creating a few promising opportunities, the Ghanaians were unable to turn the tide. They lacked precision in the final third against a Norwegian side that proved far more clinical.

Melgård sealed the result in the 80th minute, completing a brace by finishing off a corner-kick routine with another curling left-footed effort. With this win, Norway has put their difficult 2025 campaign behind them and sent an early statement to the rest of the competition.

Meanwhile, Zambia faced a particularly tough start against Japan. Overwhelmed in the opening minutes, the "Copper Queens" quickly conceded two goals and were never able to disrupt Japan’s momentum. Nanami Kurita put the Japanese side ahead in the 9th minute, connecting with a cutback from Mei Hanashiro. Four minutes later, Grace Phiri scored an own goal after deflecting an attempt by Sayana Hoshita, further complicating matters for the Zambians.

Japan maintained their dominance after the break. Wara Shimizu extended the lead to 3-0 from a corner kick in the 72nd minute, before Kurita secured a brace in the 88th, following a perfect delivery from Fuki Ito.

In stoppage time, Asuka Tanaka capped off Japan’s victory with a fine individual effort. With this decisive win, Japan has made an ideal start in Group D, while Zambia will need to respond quickly if they hope to continue their journey in the tournament.