Kenya's Junior Starlets departs for Morocco friendlies
The Kenya Women's under 17 national team left the country Wednesday morning for Morocco to face the hosts in two friendly matches.
Their senior counterparts, the Kenya Women's National team, also departed this morning for Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where they will also take part in two friendly matches against their hosts this weekend.
The Junior Starlets, as they are commonly referred to, will take on their counterparts Friday and Monday, 4 and 7 April 2025, respectively, in Rabat.
The friendlies will serve as preparation ahead of their final FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier against Cameroon, whose first leg will be played Sunday, April 20, at Nyayo Stadium.
The return leg is scheduled for Friday, April 25, at Stade Olembe in Yaoundé.
The Women's Under 17 World Cup will take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.
Kenya will be looking to make a second consecutive appearance at the tournament after also featuring in 2024 in the Dominican Republic.
Head coach Mildred Cheche told Radio Generation Sport Wednesday morning that the friendlies against Morocco are well thought out and will boost her players before they take on the Cameroonians later this month.
" These friendlies are good because they offer us matchday practice against a team similar to what we will face with Cameroon, she said. They (Morocco) are a technical side who keep the ball very well and pass it smartly. We need to get used to playing such opposition. It will be a good learning curve," she stated.
Football Kenya Federation president Hussein Mohammed is happy to facilitate the process.
"Wishing the Harambee Starlets and Junior Starlets all the best as they take on international friendlies in Ivory Coast and Morocco. We remain steadfast in our mission to adequately prepare both our men and women National teams for international competitions," he said.
The senior women are hoping to qualify for their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON since 2016.
The Starlets will face Ivory Coast on Friday, April 4, 2025, in Abidjan, before meeting again on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the same venue.