Junior Starlets and senior team tackle Morocco and Ivory Coast

Harambee Starlets get instruction from FIFA referee in their 2026 WAFCON Qualifiers campaign match against Tunisia at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi, on February 21, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Junior Starlets and the women's senior National Team Harambee Starlets will play international friendly matches in Morocco and Ivory Coast today in preparation for the upcoming qualifiers.

Junior Starlets who are looking to secure their second straight Fifa Under-17 Women's World Cup appearance will gauge themselves against Morocco under-17 who have already sealed their place in the global event as hosts.

The team is in Rabat, Morocco for two build up matches ahead of the final round qualifiers against Cameroon on April 20 at Nyayo Stadium and April 25 at Stade Olembe in Yaounde, Cameroon.

They will be in action today with their second match set for Monday before they return to the country to finalise their preparation for the Cameroon clash.

Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche said that two ties against Morocco will paint a picture of where they are as a team and give them confidence to play Cameroon.

"The camp is going on well, we have two friendly matches which will help us test where we are as a team. The friendlies will give us match fitness and give us confidence to play against Cameroon," Cheche said.

She added that Morocco are a very good side that will help the team improve ahead of the two-legged qualifier.

"Morocco keep the ball mostly, they are a very technical team and tactically they also a very good team so they give us a clear picture if our match ahead," she added.

Junior Starlets captain Halima Imbachi echoed Cheche's sentiments noting that the friendly matches were timely and will help them.

"We are all determined to qualify for the World Cup and we believe we can do it. Playing the friendly matches will help improve as we prepare for Cameroon," Imbachi said.

In Abidjan, the Beldine Odemba-coached side Harambee Starlets will be taking on their hosts Ivory Coast as they seek to improve their game ahead of their 2026 Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final round qualifiers against Gambia.

They will play the first of the two-legged qualifiers on October 20 in Nairobi with the return match set October 28 in Gambia. They play Ivory Coast today and conclude their trip to Abidjan with the second match on Tuesday.

Harambee Starlets who edged out Tunisia 1-0 on aggregate after a historic win away win in Sousse are seeking to secure their return to the continental showpiece. They made their Wafcon debut in 2016 but have since failed to qualify for subsequent tournaments. Odemba said that the matches will help her identify areas that need improvement.

"These friendly matches are very crucial because they will allow us analyse our progress and also identify areas of improvement as we prepare for the qualifiers," Odemba said.