Harambee Starlets U-17 captain Beverlyne Awuor says the team is ready for the 2026 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on October 17 in Morocco.
The Junior Starlets have been drawn in Group E alongside the United States, China PR and Samoa. They will be hoping to build on their experience from their debut at the 2024 U-17 Women’s World Cup and produce a stronger campaign this time around.
At the 2024 edition in the Dominican Republic, Kenya lost 2-0 to England U17 and 3 – 0 to North Korea U17 before redeeming themselves with a historic 2-1 debut win over Mexico U17.
Awuor says the team is focused not only on participating but also on competing.
“As players, we are ready. We have been preparing well and we are not going there just to participate, but to compete,” she said. “We have a good technical bench and they are really motivating us.”
The captain believes the team has what it takes to progress deep into the tournament.
“In the last World Cup, we won only one match. This time, we want to win more and go all the way to the final. That is our motivation,” she said.
Awuor believes the World Cup will provide the players with an important platform to showcase their talent and attract interest from established clubs abroad.
“Heading to the World Cup presents us with a great opportunity to showcase our talents and secure good transfers to established clubs,” she said.
The Junior Starlets will begin their World Cup campaign against China PR on October 19, before facing the United States on October 22. They will conclude their group-stage matches against Samoa on October 25.
The team was due to travel to Spain on Friday for a three-week training camp. They are scheduled to play friendly matches against Australia’s U-17, Real Betis and Cádiz CF as part of their final preparations for the U-17 World Cup.
