Japan vs. Zambia Women's World Cup: A Comprehensive Prediction

Nov 07, 2025 0

Zambia and Japan faced off in the first round of the Women's World Cup. Here's an in-depth look at the match, including predictions, team news, and more.

Match Overview

Japan, ranked 11th in FIFA rankings and a former World Cup champion, were the favorites against Zambia, who are ranked 77th and playing at a World Cup for the first time.

Predictions

Here are some predictions for the match:

Japan to Win and Lead at Half Time: Japan is in good form, having won three of their last four games. Historically, Japan has performed well against African teams in the World Cup.
Over 1.5 Total Goals in First Half: Zambia's recent games have been high-scoring, averaging 4.40 goals per game.

Betting Odds and Probabilities

The betting odds indicated Japan as the clear favorite:

Zambia Women odds: 17/2 (9.50) - 10.50% Probability
Draw odds: 23/4 (6.75) - 14.80% Probability
Japan Women odds: 2/7 (1.29) - 77.80% Probability

Riko Ueki was the main favorite to be the First Goalscorer in this match at 18/5 (4.60) odds, which is the same as a 21.70% probability.

Team News and Lineups

Zambia Women

This World Cup appearance is a significant achievement for Zambia, marking their first time at the tournament.

Zambia Women Predicted Lineup:

Musonda - Tembo, Mweemba, Musase, Belemu - Katongo, Banda, Lubanji - Chitundu, Banda, Kundananji

Japan Women

After reaching the final twice in a row in 2011 and 2015, Japan aimed to reach the latter stages of the tournament once again.

Japan Women Predicted Lineup:

Read also: Nigeria and Japan: A Deep Dive

Yamashita - Minami, Kumagai, Ishikawa - Endo, Nagano, Hasegawa, Shimizu - Miyazawa, Tanaka, Ueki

Teams often announce their lineups one hour before the kickoff.

Player to Watch: Yui Hasegawa, the Man City's midfielder, is one of the best players on the team.

Recent Form

Here's a look at the recent form of both teams:

Last Five - Zambia Women

Read also: Zambia National Team vs Japan

08/04/25 Women’s International: Uzbekistan Women - Zambia Women (W)
25/02/25 Women’s International: Malawi Women - Zambia Women (L)
02/11/24 COSAFA Cup Women: South Africa Women - Zambia Women (W)
31/10/24 COSAFA Cup Women: Malawi Women - Zambia Women (W)
29/10/24 COSAFA Cup Women: Comoros Women - Zambia Women (W)

Last Five - Japan Women

06/04/25 Women’s International: Colombia Women - Japan Women (D)
27/02/25 Women’s International: USA Women - Japan Women (W)
23/02/25 Women’s International: Colombia Women - Japan Women (W)
20/02/25 Women’s International: Australia Women - Japan Women (W)
26/10/24 Women’s International: South Korea Women - Japan Women (W)