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2026 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup: Kenya’s Junior Starlets rout Namibia to book date with Uganda
Kenya Harambee junior Starlets players before facing Namibia during Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) African qualifiers Fifa under-17 Women World Cup match played on 18th April 2026 at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Kenya’s Junior Starlets on Saturday defeated Namibia 5-0 at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi to secure a place in the second round of 2026 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers with a 7-1 aggregate victory in the first round.
Kenya has progressed to the second round following a 2-1 win in the first leg of the first round on April 12 at Unam Stadium in Windhoek, where forward Lindey Weey and defender Faith Boke scored early goals in the second and fifth minutes of the match. On that occasion, Teyanna Awases scored Namibia’s consolation late in the second half.
On Saturday, Junior Starlets coach, Mildred Cheche, made one defensive change to the squad that played in the first leg, replacing defender Gaudancia Maloba with Iddah Akinyi. Junior Starlets squandered many scoring chances for a 0-0 scoreline at halftime.
In the second half, both teams made substitutions. Cheche brought on Maloba for Akinyi, while Namibia’s coach, Nicholas Woody, replaced Nanami Uarue with Kathleen Angel. Cheche’s substitution yielded immediate results.
Just two minutes into the second half, Starlets broke the deadlock in the 47th minute through Brenda Achieng.
The goal came after Emily Adhiambo, teed up striker Achieng, who skilfully beat Namibia’s defenders to score via well-placed shot, sending the home fans into wild celebrations.
Kenya Harambee junior Starlets Brenda Achieng (no 9) celebrates her goals with teammates against Namibia counterparts during Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) African qualifiers Fifa under-17 Women World Cup match played on 18th April 2026 at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
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Adhiambo, playing as a forward, extended Kenya’s advantage with a well-executed free kick in the 54th minute.
In the 69th minute, Starlets solidified their lead with the third goal of the day from Achieng. The play developed from a pass initiated by defender Faith Boke, who placed the ball in front of Maloba. With a deft first touch, Maloba directed the ball to Achieng, who fired home.
Achieng completed her hat-trick in the 81st minute, increasing the score to four after a counter-attack initiated by Maloba.
Substitute Elizabeth Opiyo sealed the victory with the fifth goal for Kenya in added time, dribbling past two Namibian players on the right wing before unleashing a powerful shot past goalkeeper Tunga Ndiweteko.
Starlets will face Uganda in the second round next month. Uganda beat Zimbabwe 6-1 on aggregate, having triumphed 4-1 in the first leg on May 12, and 2-0 yesterday at Fufa Stadium-Kadiba in Kampala.
“We’re pleased with the support from our fans. The substitutions we made were effective, and we expected to dominate at home. Even away, we dominated despite missing several scoring opportunities,” said Cheche in a post-match interview.
Regarding Achieng’s performance, Cheche said: “She had chances to score goals in the first leg, but she didn’t convert them. Today, she rose to the occasion.”
“Looking ahead to the next round against Uganda, we must improve our execution in the final third. We missed numerous scoring chances, particularly in the first half, though we improved in the second. In these qualifiers, there are no weak teams, considering our performances both home and away. It’s up to us to perform at every stage, as every game counts. I’m satisfied with the players’ performance.”
Her Namibian counterpart, Woodey, said: “I commend the girls for their effort against a strong opponent with World Cup experience. Kenya was the stronger team, and I understand that some of our players were on this stage for the first time. From the look of things, Kenya has a consistent pipeline of young, talented players, and we can learn from that. We’ll take these lessons, and it’s not over for us. Perhaps not next year or the year after, but we will keep pushing. Kenyan women’s football is truly growing.”
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