NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – With a second World Cup qualification on the horizon, host Junior Starlets have called on fans to turn up in large numbers to catalyze them through in the women’s under-17 tourney when they play South Africa in the return leg on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Kenya’s Junior Starlets carry a 2-0 lead from the first leg played in Pretoria, South Africa, and only need to keep a clean sheet to return to the global stage at a tournament scheduled to be hosted in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
Speaking upon the team’s arrival, Football Kenya Federation acting CEO Dennis Gicheru emphasized the immense weight of the upcoming home tie, calling on the nation to provide a formidable hostile environment for the visiting South Africans.
“Now we are coming back for the final phase. I think it’s important for us to prepare well. We are rallying behind all the fans to come on Sunday and support the team. It’s the final phase before we go for the U-17 World Cup in Morocco later in the year,” Gicheru stated.
The CEO pointed out that the team’s recent intense campaign at the CECAFA Under-17 Women’s Championship in Tanzania was intentionally leveraged as a high-exposure rehearsal to fine-tune tactical systems and build match fitness specifically for this final round of qualification.
“We recently participated in the CECAFA tournament. We are using that tournament as a precursor for this phase of the qualifiers. So I think we’ve given them proper support,” added Gicheru.
Having already executed a flawless tactical plan to shut out South Africa on their own turf, Mildred Cheche’s charges hold all the cards.
