Junior Starlets fix eyes on World Cup ticket

The future is bright for Kenyan women’s football.

The Junior Starlets’ show against Uganda in 2025 Fifa Under-17 women’s World Cup second round qualifiers at Nyayo Stadium is a true testament of better things to come.

Starlets, who are looking to secure their second World Cup appearance in Morocco this year, made a good account of themselves winning away in Uganda and completing the job at Nyayo Stadium.

They staged an all-round performance with all departments working in sync for a 5-0 aggregate win that saw them advance to the final qualification round where they are set to play Cameroon.

Cameroon beat Ethiopia 6-2 on aggregate to advance to the third round.

It was evident that Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche got it right from selection of players to match day fielding and above all, a plan to ensure that there is continuity.

Having 13-year-old Brenda Achieng come off the bench to bag a brace and give Kenya a 3-0 win in the return leg match was a pointer to Cheche’s long-term plans with the team.

“Cameroon players are big in size, so we must prepare very well for us to be able to compete against them. We must also work on our physicality and beef up the squad. It’s a tough task, but I believe our girls can do it,” Cheche said.

Team captain Halima Imbachi said having watched Cameroon play Ethiopia, they are not afraid of their big sizes and have started preparing themselves mentally. “We have been watching Cameroon play and we admit that they are big. However, football is not about size, but more of a brain game,” Imbachi said.Imbachi was part of the history-making squad that put Kenya on the world football map when they made their World Cup debut in the Dominican Republic last year.

To secure their ticket to the Morocco games set for October 17 to November 8, Kenya must get past Cameroon. They are looking to be among the five teams that will represent Africa.

Nigeria and Zambia, who were in the Dominican Republic alongside Kenya last year, are also in the race for the four slots from the third round of qualifiers.

Morocco secured their spot as the host country. Nigeria, who eliminated South Africa on 5-1 aggregate win, will play Algeria, while Zambia beat Tanzania 4-0 and will now take on Benin.

Ivory Coast and Guinea will face off in the other qualifier.