NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 15 – Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba says last year’s painful memories of losing out on qualification for this year’s Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is fueling their ambition to make the 2026 showpiece.
Starlets lost 2-1 on aggregate to Botswana in the final round of qualification, a match that they could have easily won with two penalties missed in both home and away legs.
In an interview with Telecomasia.net, the tactician says the team lost because they were over the moon after beating Cameroon and thought Botswana would be a walk in the park.
“Those memories are very painful, because we had a very good chance. The biggest mistake we as a team did was not give 100 percent to the game against Botswana. I think we didn’t lose the match tactically. We lost it because we kind of underrated Botswana,” Odemba said in the interview with Telecomasia.
She added; “After beating Cameroon, in our minds we had already won against Botswana even before playing them. If you look at the performance in both games, Botswana came prepared to fight for every ball but for us, we thought it was an easy game.”
Starlets will take on Tunisia in the first round of qualification for the 2026 showpiece next Friday, with the return fixture scheduled four days later in Tunis.
Odemba says they are going to treat each match with the seriousness it deserves and give 100 percent.
“We learnt our lessons the hard way. Football is won on the pitch and not on paper. We have learnt and we are using that as an inspiration to start this journey. For us now, every game is like a final and we have to respect any opponent that comes our way and give 100 percent always,” she added.
