Kenya’s Harambee Starlets have cancelled a planned two-week training camp in France and are expected back home today following the postponement of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The 16th edition of the continental showpiece that was scheduled for March 17 to April 3 in Morocco has been pushed back to July 25-August 16 by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
Starlets completed their two-match tour of Cote d’Ivoire yesterday and were due to fly to Miramas, France, for elite training ahead of the African finals.
The 25-woman squad was expected to leave Abidjan last night in a Kenya Airways flight and to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi this morning. Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba said that despite the postponement of Wafcon, their ambition remained to improve on their 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) performance, as they return to the competition after a 10-year absence.
“In our last Wafcon, we lost all our group stage matches, and we’re looking to improve. Cote d’Ivoire has given us a feel for what to expect,” Odemba stated.
In the 2016 tournament in Cameroon, Kenya failed to advance from a challenging Group “B”, losing to Ghana 3-1, Nigeria 4-0, and Mali 3-1.
Reflecting on the two recent friendly matches, Odemba said they needed to work on their mentality. Starlets lost 1-0 to Cote d’Ivoire at Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Wednesday night as they wrapped up their West African tour.
The team had suffered a 2-0 loss to Benin on Monday at Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny in the same city.
Kenya’s Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba.
Photo credit: Pool
Kenya’s defender, Dian Ochol, strikers Valarie Nekesa, and Eglay Mukhwana made their debut against Cote d’Ivoire and also featured against Benin.
“These friendlies are important for improvement and to help new players understand the international stage. They have allowed us to assess team combinations and identify areas for improvement. We now have more time to work on our weaknesses,” said Odemba.
Kenya are in a tough Group “A”, alongside hosts Morocco, Senegal and Algeria.
“We’ve played Morocco and Algeria before. We know them. But haven’t faced Senegal yet. We now know what to work on now that we have time,” Odemba said.
For the past two months, the venue for the continental tournament has been in doubt.
Morocco were confirmed as the host for the third consecutive time, but speculation arose regarding their readiness, particularly after staging a full of incidents 2025 Afcon in January.
Amidst this uncertainty, CAF President Patrice Motsepe last month reaffirmed that Wafcon would proceed as planned, and also serve as qualifiers for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
However, CAF’s Head of TV and acting Director of Communications, Luxolo September, stated via X on Wednesday that an announcement regarding the 2026 Wafcon situation would be made within 48 hours, acknowledging ongoing discussions and high-level attention to the matter.
“CAF will communicate within 48 hours on the situation regarding the 2026 Wafcon. There have been several discussions for weeks. The matter is receiving urgent and high-level attention,” said September.
Nigeria team captain Asisat Oshoala, on January 15, criticised CAF for repeatedly awarding hosting rights to Morocco, calling the trend monotonous and suggesting it positions the country as the “new headquarters” of African football.
“The big question here is, when will this whole CAF compensation for Morocco end? Awarding them all tournaments ...It’s getting boring now. We need other countries to step up. Everything concerning African football happens in Morocco; it feels like that’s the new HQ,” Oshoala wrote on social media.
