Kenya’s national under-17 girls football team, the Junior Starlets, have been drawn in Group E of this year’s FIFA-U17 Women’s World Cup. They will face China, the United States (US), and Samoa during the tournament, which is set to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7.Group E
The Junior Starlets will commence their campaign against China on October 19 at Pitch 1 of the Women’s Football Complex. Three days later, they will play the US at Pitch 3 of the same venue. Their Group E fixtures will conclude against Samoa on October 25 at Pitch 4, where they will aim to secure sufficient points to advance to the knockout stage.
Kenya secured their place in the global tournament by defeating South Africa 5-1 on aggregate in the final round of qualification. The Junior Starlets sealed their spot with a 3-1 victory in the second leg at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday, following a 2-0 win in the first leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria a week prior.
This tournament will mark Kenya’s second appearance at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. Coach Mildred Cheche’s side will be looking to improve upon their debut performance in the Dominican Republic two years ago.
During that previous campaign, the Junior Starlets began Group C with a 2-0 defeat to England, followed by a 3-0 loss to eventual champions North Korea.
They concluded their historic first appearance with a 2-1 victory over Mexico, thereby becoming the first Kenyan football team to win a match at a World Cup. This achievement also followed their historic distinction as the country’s first football team to feature at the global tournament at any level.
Coach Cheche expressed her delight after guiding the Junior Starlets to World Cup qualification, commending the players, technical bench, and the country for their support.
“I am really delighted. I am happy for the girls, the technical bench, and the whole country,” Cheche stated, attributing the team’s qualification to hard work and belief despite facing challenges throughout their journey.
“The journey has not been easy, but here we are again. All this is the fruit of hard work and belief. The girls wanted to do this from the start, and you can see the joy on our faces,” she added.
She acknowledged that the team initially struggled with pressure during the opening stages of the match but improved following a half-time discussion in the dressing room.
“The girls had some stage fright at the start and played with some fear. We went back to the dressing room at half-time and reminded them that we are playing at home, and even if they had never played in front of this huge number of fans, we had to step up and get results at home, and I am glad they responded well in the second half,” she explained.
The coach indicated that the team will now concentrate on thorough preparation for the World Cup and on enhancing their performance, with the aim of progressing beyond the group stage.
“We now have to prepare well and focus on getting better results. We want to go past the group stages, and I believe we can do it,” Cheche affirmed.
