World Cup qualifiers: Kenya U-17 girls look to finish the job in Nairobi
Kenya Under-17 players acknowledge their fans after beating Burundi in the return leg of the fourth round of the 2024 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers on June 16 at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi.
Kenya’s coach Mildred Cheche has attributed Saturday’s impressive 2-0 victory over South Africa in the first leg of the final round of the 2026 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup qualifiers to composure and commitment by her players.
The return leg will be played on Sunday at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, with kick-off scheduled for 3 pm. The aggregate winners will secure Africa's final four tickets to the World Cup, which will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.
“What worked well for us was that we stuck to our style of play,” said Cheche yesterday.
“We remained composed, created chances and made the most of them, which made the difference.”
At Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, utility player Faith Boke gave Kenya the perfect start by opening the scoring in the 13th minute. A few minutes later, South Africa came close to equalising before the break, but Starlets goalkeeper Mishel Okoyo produced a brilliant save to preserve Kenya's lead heading into half-time.
Prolific striker Brenda Achieng doubled Kenya's advantage in the 70th minute, leaving the Junior Starlets just 90 minutes away from qualifying for the second time.
The result gives Kenya a commanding advantage ahead of the return leg, with the Kenyan girls needing only a draw or even a one-goal defeat to book their place in Morocco.
South Africa’s Bantwana, meanwhile, must win by at least a three-goal margin in Nairobi to overturn the deficit and qualify.
“Winning away from home is the first step towards qualifying for the World Cup. The girls performed exceptionally well. They prepared thoroughly, handled the pressure brilliantly, and delivered the result we wanted. I am very proud of every one of them,” Odemba, who holds Caf ‘A’ Licence, said.
Midfielder Lindey Weey Otieno also praised the level of unity in the team.
“Most importantly, we played as one team. Every player fought for her teammates, for the country, for the badge, and for their parents. That unity and determination helped us secure this important victory,” said Weey.
Kenya's Marion Serenge evades a tackle from Burundi's Ornella Nibizi during Fifa U-17 Women World Cup qualifier on June 16, 2024 at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi.
Weey is among three players in the current squad with FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup experience, alongside defenders Faith Boke and Brenda Awuor, who represented Kenya at the 2024 finals.
In the other final-round first-leg qualifiers, Nigeria edged Benin 3-2 at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne in a match officiated by Kenyan Fifa referee Josphine Wanjiku. The return leg will be played on Sunday at Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo.
Elsewhere, Senegal settled for a 1-1 draw against Ghana in Dakar on Friday and will travel to Accra for the decisive second leg, while Zambia secured a 2-1 home victory over Ethiopia in Ndola ahead of Sunday's return fixture in Addis Ababa.
The four aggregate winners from the final qualifying round will join hosts Morocco as Africa's representatives at the expanded 24-team World Cup. Africa will have five representatives in total, including the hosts.
The Caf qualification campaign is played over three rounds of two-legged home-and-away ties. Thirty-one of Caf's 53 member associations, excluding hosts Morocco, entered the competition, with Malawi making their qualification debut.
Nigeria, the highest-ranked nation based on performances in the previous five editions of the qualifiers, received a bye to the second round. The remaining 30 teams contested the opening round, producing 15 winners who joined Nigeria in the second round. Those 16 teams were then reduced to eight, with the final round determining Africa's four qualifiers.
The expanded tournament will feature 24 teams from all six Fifa confederations: Caf (five teams, including hosts Morocco), Uefa (five), Afc (four), Concaf (four), Conmebol (four), and OFC (two).
The official tournament draw was conducted on May 21 after qualification was completed in the other five confederations. Africa's four qualifiers will complete the 24-team field by joining hosts Morocco at the global showpiece.
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