Junior Starlets could face regional rivals on road back to FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Junior Starlets in a past match/ HANDOUT

Junior Starlets, Kenya women’s U17 national team, have been handed a demanding qualification pathway that could see them eliminate familiar East African rivals Uganda and Tanzania in their bid to return to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The tournament is set for Morocco later this year, following the African qualifiers draw unveiled on Saturday in Rabat.

Head coach Mildred Cheche’s side, who made history by qualifying for their maiden World Cup appearance in 2024, will begin their campaign earlier this time after failing to receive a first-round bye, unlike last year.

As per the draw, Kenya will face Namibia in a two-legged first-round tie scheduled for April 10–19, marking the official start of their journey back to the global stage.

A total of 30 African nations, excluding top-ranked Nigeria, which got an automatic bye, will contest the qualifiers. They will be played over three knockout rounds, with only four teams earning tickets to the World Cup finals.

The draw has coincidentally mapped out a route that could pit Kenya against regional rivals at every critical stage. Should the Junior Starlets navigate past Namibia, they would face Uganda in the second round, provided the Ugandans overcome Zimbabwe in their opening tie.

Kenya holds a psychological advantage over Uganda, having eliminated them in the 2025 qualifiers, winning 5-0 on aggregate in the second round.

This year’s second round will be staged across two legs between May 22 and 31, with the winners advancing to the decisive final phase of qualification.

Awaiting in the third and final round, scheduled for July 3–12, could be another Cecafa opponent, Tanzania. However, the Young Twiga Stars must first overcome Botswana in the first round and then get past either South Africa or the Central African Republic to set up a possible regional showdown.

The Junior Starlets’ renewed push comes after a painful end to their impressive qualifying run in April, when Cameroon halted Kenya’s hopes of back-to-back World Cup appearances with a 4-1 aggregate victory, ending a long unbeaten streak in qualifiers.

With valuable experience from their 2024 World Cup debut and a clearly defined path ahead, Cheche’s charges now face a familiar but unforgiving regional gauntlet as they chase another place among the world’s elite.