- The Uganda versus Kenya FIFA U17 World Cup qualifier match will be played from 4 PM at the Nakivubo Hamz Stadium.
- The winner of the two-legged fixture is expected to play either Cameroon or Ethiopia in the next round.
- Junior Starlets made history in 2024 when they became the first team from the country to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament.
The Kenya U17 girls’ football team are set to kick off their 2025 FIFA U17 Girls World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday evening, March 8.
Kenya, coached by Mildred Cheche, will be seeking to qualify for the FIFA World Cup tournament for the second time in a row.
The team made history in 2024 when they won all their qualifying matches without conceding a single goal and booked a ticket to the global showpiece for the first time ever.
On the other hand, Uganda, who hammered Namibia 10-0 in their recent qualifier match, are aiming to play in the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
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However, the hosts are aware that beating Junior Starlets and progressing to the next round of the qualifying tournament will not be easy.
Stiff competition
Speaking ahead of the first leg that is planned to start at exactly 4 PM at the Nakivubo Hamz Stadium in Kampala, Ugandan head coach Sheryl Botes divulged that they have had a difficult time preparing for the game.
“Playing against Kenya, we now know what they are going to bring and the potential that they have in the team. You can see they are overly confident of beating us tomorrow, but that is what we want: competition.
It has to be like that. That is what I said to you guys the other day, the fact that we were 10 nil against Namibia, for me it wasn’t real.
I was not interested in that. It is the 1-0, or 2-0 that matters. And that is what we need for us to be recognized, for us to improve.
I can tell you now what Kenya brings to the team as it has given us nightmares for the past eight days. So, we have got to do everything, have to plan everything meticulously whether it is a corner, throwing for us to do well in the game,” she explained.
Kenyan camp upbeat
Meanwhile, her counterpart Cheche has also acknowledged that Uganda will make life difficult for them.
Nonetheless, Cheche believes that she has prepared her side well to overcome the challenge that is ahead of them.
“We expect a very tough opposition. A challenging opposition. Looking at the previous game they played against Namibia, it means they are also well organized, but we also have a good team.
And as upcoming coaches, we motivate ourselves that even against an older or more tactical coach that you give yourself a chance and you know that you can excel,” commented the highly-rated gaffer.
Finally, Junior Starlets’ skipper Halima Imbachi stated that they had a good experience playing in the tournament last year.
Nevertheless, similar to her coach, Imbachi admitted that Uganda is not an easy team to play, especially at this stage of the tournament.
Should Kenya triumph over Uganda in the two-legged tie, they will play either Ethiopia or Cameroon in the next round of the qualifying tournament where the winner will bag a ticket to the 2025 FIFA U17 Girls World Cup that is set to be played in Morocco between October 17 and November 8.
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