On June 16, 2024, Kenya’s U-17 Junior Starlets made history by becoming the first Kenyan football team, male or female, to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
Despite being knocked out at the group stage, the girls used the tournament to learn all that is needed to play football at the global stage, from football management, tactics and financial management.
Starlets at the World Cup
Kenya was pooled in Group C, alongside England, Korea DPR and Mexico. They suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of Korea DPR, followed by another 2-0 demoralising defeat by The Three Lions before heading out of the tournament with a narrow 2-1 win over Mexico.
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The qualification and participation have had a lasting impact, with Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba integrating standout players like Elizabeth Ochaka and Christine Adhiambo into the senior team.
The milestone was a wake-up call to Kenya’s sports Ministry to significantly improve sports standards in the country as the gap was significant compared to teams like England and North Korea.
The perspective from all over Kenya towards women’s football also changed, with many who never supported it now encouraging more female participation, which the Junior Starlets’ success can help catalyze.
Short-lived hopes
Kenya’s U-17 achievement of becoming the first ever Kenyan team to play in the FIFA World Cup might have set the bar too high, and there were endless expectations of what they might achieve in the next World Cup.
The 2025 African U17 Women’s World Cup, organised by the Confederation of African Football, involved 28 nations competing for four spots alongside host Morocco.
Kenya, along with Nigeria and Zambia, received a bye in the first round due to their participation in the 2024 World Cup, giving them a head start in the second round.
Kenya faced Uganda in the second round, winning 2-0 in the first leg in Hamz Stadium in Kampala Uganda. The second leg saw Kenya win 3-0 to see them advance to the third round against Cameroon after an aggregate score of 5-0.
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Starlets were beaten 0-1 at Nyayo Stadium by Cameroon in the first round of the third leg of the qualifications, before Cameroon’s attacking superiority proved too much for Kenya as they lost 3-1 at Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Starlets were knocked out, leaving Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, and Guinea as Africa’s representatives.
It is all back to the drawing board for U-17 Junior Starlets and the Kenya sports ministry at large, as all the efforts put till now have proved not to be enough, and instant changes must be made to save the growing young Kenyan sports nation.
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