Kenya’s Junior Starlets have qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after overcoming South Africa 3-1 in the final round of the African qualifiers, securing a historic second consecutive appearance at the global showpiece.
The Mildred Cheche-coached side entered the decisive second leg at Nyayo National Stadium carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first meeting and did enough to complete the job on the aggregate 5-1 and book their place among the world’s best youth teams.
The qualification marks another major milestone for Kenyan women’s football, coming just two years after the Junior Starlets made history by becoming the country’s first football team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament when they reached the 2024 edition in the Dominican Republic.
Her faith in the players proved justified as the Junior Starlets displayed the composure, discipline and resilience that have become the hallmark of their campaign.
Kenya Qualifies for U-17 World Cup
Kenya’s Junior Starlets produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat South Africa 3-1 and secure a 5-1 aggregate victory, booking their place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
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Backed by a home crowd at Nyayo Stadium, Kenya weathered sustained pressure from the South Africans for much of the match after Malebana’s early goal reduced the aggregate deficit.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 70th minute when Maloba scored to restore parity on the day and put Kenya firmly back in command of the tie. The goal lifted both the players and supporters as the hosts moved closer to another historic qualification.
With South Africa forced to commit more players forward in search of goals, Kenya exploited the spaces left behind. Awuor doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 87th minute, effectively ending the contest and sparking celebrations among the home supporters.
Namisi then put the icing on the cake two minutes later, finding the net in the 89th minute to complete a dominant comeback and cap a memorable afternoon for Kenyan football.
The victory saw the Junior Starlets complete a 5-1 aggregate triumph and secure a second successive appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after making their debut at the 2024 tournament in the Dominican Republic.
For coach Mildred Cheche and her players, the result was further proof of the rapid growth of women’s football in Kenya and the success of the country’s youth development structures.
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Kenya will now turn their focus to preparations for the tournament in Morocco, where the Junior Starlets will be hoping to build on the experience gained from their historic debut and make an even bigger impact on the world stage.
About the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
Kenya’s qualification sends the Junior Starlets to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026, scheduled to be held from October 17 to November 7.
The tournament will feature 24 teams from six confederations and marks the 10th edition of the global competition.
Morocco will automatically participate as the host and is set to stage the event annually from 2025 to 2029.
The 2026 edition will also be the second consecutive tournament to feature an expanded 24-team format.
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