Kenya Lionesses lock Phoebe Otieno in action against Madagascar Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo believes the country's hopes of qualifying for the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup in Australia will hinge on improving the quality of domestic competition and increasing the team's exposure to international Test rugby.
Fresh from guiding the Lionesses to a runners-up finish at the Rugby Africa Women's Cup held at RFUEA Grounds, Odongo said the next 24 months will be critical if Kenya is to secure a historic maiden appearance at the global showpiece.
"We need more Test matches in the next two years because playing in the Africa Cup once a year is not enough. I am glad we have secured a ticket to the WXV Championship, but we need more. Those are conversations that the Kenya Rugby Union, the CEO and the board will be having over the next couple of months to ensure we are well aligned and adequately prepared for the journey to Australia in three years," said Odongo.
The Lionesses fell 35-20 to South Africa in the Africa Cup final, but Odongo believes the gap between the two sides is narrowing. He credited his players for their fighting spirit and noted that increased exposure at the highest level would help Kenya eventually end their losing streak against the Springbok Women.
"We have grown in leaps and bounds. Credit to the girls because they fought hard. Going forward, we must create depth in the squad. We suffered a couple of injuries to Faith Livoi and Phoebe Otieno, but I am delighted with the progress we are making. I know we are becoming competitive against South Africa, and we are not just participating against them," he added.
The Lionesses are currently ranked 23rd in the World Rugby rankings, second in Africa behind South Africa. Kenya has three possible pathways to qualification for the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup.
The most direct route will be through the 2027 Rugby Africa Women's Cup, where the Lionesses must dethrone South Africa and emerge as continental champions to secure automatic qualification.
Should they once again finish behind the Springbok Women, Kenya could still book their place in Australia through the World Rugby rankings by accumulating sufficient ranking points during official Test windows before the end of 2027.
The two highest-ranked teams yet to qualify will earn places at the World Cup. Another potential avenue could come through a final qualification tournament should World Rugby retain the repechage format used in previous editions.
