Junior Starlets shift focus to World Cup qualifier duel

Junior Starlets in action vs Namibia [Facebook]

After a successful away trip to Namibia, Junior Starlets have now shifted their focus to the return leg of the first round of the 2026 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

Starlets, who are seeking to secure their return to the global stage, launched their quest with a 2-1 win against their hosts Baby Gladiators in Windhoek on Sunday.

The victory gives them an edge over their guests ahead of Saturday’s second leg encounter set for Ulinzi Sports Complex.

A win or draw will see Kenya advance to the next round as the aggregate winners.

Lindey Weey Atieno and Faith Boke netted for Starlets minutes from the final whistle while Khloe Teyanna Awases pulled one back for the homegirls in the 84th minute.

Atieno was on target in the second minute with Boke stretching their advantage in the sixth minute.

Despite an error in the dying minutes of the game, goalkeeper Mishel Ng’ono was also impressive making several outstanding saves that saw Kenya cruise to victory.

Speaking after their win against Namibia, Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche said that they had a good game and they will improve because it is a learning process.

“We had a good game especially in the first half, the girls did really well though in the second half there was nothing much but I believe that it is a learning curve for them because it is the first time for most of them to play an international match. So hopefully they will settle in in the second leg at home,” Cheche said.   

His Namibia equal Nicolas Jacobs lauded Junior Starlets admitting that though they were at home, Kenya was without doubt the stronger side. He noted that they were looking forward to their second leg clash.

“To be honest I’m very proud to play against a very strong Kenyan team, strong in the fact that they go about their business very well and they put us under so much pressure."

"We didn’t know what to expect from Kenya because last year’s team is not the same but I can see the succession the same way. All said, there are a lot of pluses for us and a lot that we can learn and I’m just looking forward to the next encounter.”

Should Starlets secure their second round slot, they will likely meet with neighbours Uganda who began their campaign with a 2-0 away win against Zimbabwe.

Last year, Junior Starlets met with Uganda in the second round beating them 5-0 on aggregate to advance to the final round.

However, their hopes of making a second straight global appearance were crushed when they lost to Cameroon in the third round.