2026 FIFA U17 WWC: Kenya begin World Cup dream away to Namibia
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 12.04.26. | 09:20
Kenya will be seeking a return to the World Cup, having made their debut in 2024 in what was a historic and remarkable achievement for the country.
The Kenya U17 women’s national team, the Junior Starlets, begin their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup today, Sunday, 12 April, with a qualifier match against Namibia.
Namibia will host the first leg of the two-legged tie at the UNAM Stadium in Windhoek from 4PM EAT, in a match expected to produce fireworks.
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Kenya will be seeking a return to the World Cup, having made their debut in 2024 in what was a historic and remarkable achievement for the country.
The Junior Starlets have been in camp for the past few weeks to sharpen their skills, with coach Mildred Cheche, who led the team to glory in 2024, keen to use her experience to replicate that success.
Namibia’s Baby Gladiators have also been in camp since March and have played a couple of friendly matches, aiming to cause an upset against Kenya.
Coach Cheche will be banking on the experience of Lindey Weey Atieno and Brenda Awuor, who were part of the 2024 success, to guide the team.
She also has Mwanakombo Bakari at her disposal. Bakari was part of the unsuccessful 2025 campaign and is expected to blend in with the new players to form a formidable side.
“We had good preparations back at home and have also received a warm welcome in Namibia. We are now hoping for the best in our match.
At U17 level, teams change every year, so we cannot really say we know Namibia well. However, I believe they have a good team. We will not underrate them. We will give our best, and the better team will win,” said Cheche.
Her sentiments were echoed by Bervaline Awuor, who is targeting maximum points in the match.
“We have trained well, and everyone is ready to work hard to secure a win that will give us an advantage heading into our home match,” she said.
On his part, Namibia coach Nicolas Jacobs expressed his admiration for Kenya, noting their strength while also backing his team to compete.
“Kenya beat us and Uganda last year, so we know the kind of opponents we are facing. They have also previously qualified for the World Cup and are therefore the favourites for this game. We will be punching above our weight, but we embrace the underdog tag and will do our best to win the match,” said Jacobs.
