Junior Starlets seek revival against USA as FKF holds talks with FIFA on women's football

Kenya'ws Junior Starlets form a team huddle following defeat at the end of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Group E match vs China PR at the Mohammed VI Football Complex on October 19, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco. (Joern Pollex/FIFA)

Kenya faces a daunting test against the United States on Thursday as they seek to revive their FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup campaign after opening their Group E account with a 3-0 defeat to China in Morocco.

The Junior Starlets made a false start to their campaign on Monday, struggling to turn promising moments into goals before China punished their defensive lapses to claim a comfortable victory at the Mohammed VI Football Academy.

The result leaves coach Mildred Cheche with little time to address the shortcomings exposed in the opener, with the United States arriving in confident form after an emphatic 17-0 demolition of Samoa.

Kenya will need a significant improvement in their finishing and defensive organisation to stand a chance against the group leaders, who announced their intentions in ruthless fashion.

Brendah Achieng had an early opportunity to give Kenya a positive start against China but failed to hit the target. The Asian side then seized control when Yu Yue broke the deadlock after 12 minutes.

Siqing Zhao of China PR is challenged by Gaudancia Maloba of Kenya's Junior Starlets in action vs China in THE FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Group E match vs China PR at the Mohammed VI Football Complex on October 19, 2026 in Rabat, Morocco. (Joern Pollex/FIFA)

The Junior Starlets struggled to create clear-cut chances thereafter, and their difficulties continued after the break as China tightened their grip on the contest. Xu Xiaotany struck twice in the second half to complete the 3-0 victory, leaving Kenya to reflect on missed opportunities and defensive weaknesses. Joan Orwa later had a chance to get Kenya on the scoresheet, but her effort was saved as the Junior Starlets failed to find a response.

Cheche demands improvement

Despite the disappointing result, Cheche believes there were encouraging moments in the first half, but insists her players must improve in both attack and defence if they are to progress beyond the group stage.

“We still have an opportunity to improve, and we must improve if we are to go beyond the group stage. A lot has to be done, especially in the forward line and the defence. Hopefully we get that right before our next match,” she said.

“In the first half, we had better moments even though we conceded. We played really well but not so well in the second half.”

The coach pointed to Kenya’s inability to convert chances as another area requiring urgent attention, with the team needing to become more clinical against the Americans.

“I think we did well in creating chances, but now we must work on converting them. We will keep fighting for the country. We will keep trying and encouraging the girls to do better,” Cheche added.

FKF, FIFA discuss future of women’s football

Away from the pitch, Football Kenya Federation president Hussein Mohammed led a delegation of FKF executive committee and Congress members in discussions with FIFA officials on Wednesday, October 21, on the sidelines of the tournament in Morocco.

The meeting with FIFA Head of Development for Women’s Football Arijana Demirovic and FIFA Lead for Women’s Football in Africa Doreen Nabwire focused on strengthening the long-term development of women’s football in Kenya.

Among the key priorities discussed were building sustainable pathways towards Harambee Starlets’ qualification for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, establishing a dedicated technical centre for women’s football and strengthening the women’s football desk within FKF.

Demirovic commended the federation for progress in developing its Women’s Football Strategy for 2026-2029, highlighting initiatives tailored to advancing the women’s game in Kenya.

The delegation included NEC members Peter Kamau Chege and Caleb Amwayi, Vihiga County FKF chairperson and Women’s Committee vice-chair Michael Senelwa, and IMOC Committee member and Mara Sugar FC chief executive Ruth Omala.

After Thursday’s encounter, the Junior Starlets will conclude their group-stage campaign against Samoa on October 25, a match that could become crucial to their hopes of advancing, depending on the results in the group.