- The Rising Stars have been placed in a challenging Group B of the U20 AFCON tournament, alongside Nigeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
- Kenya will open their group stage campaign against Morocco on Thursday, May 1st, at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo (kick-off 21:00 EAT).
- Team captain Amos Wanjala is highly confident that they are well-prepared and ready to overcome any team that comes their way.
Kenya U20 captain Amos Wanjala has expressed confidence that the team is fully prepared to excel in the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U20 tournament in Egypt.
Under the guidance of coach Salim Babu, the Rising Stars have been rigorously training in Egypt since last week.
They find themselves in a challenging Group B, where they will compete against continental powerhouses Nigeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Kenya will open their group stage campaign against Morocco on Thursday, May 1st, at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo (kick-off 21:00 EAT).
Their second match will be against Tunisia on Saturday, May 4th (kick-off 18:00 EAT), before concluding the group stage with a clash against Nigeria on Wednesday, May 7th (kick-off 18:00 EAT).
As preparations intensify, Wanjala who plays professionally in Spain , expressed gratitude to the Football Kenya Federation and the government for their unwavering support and for facilitating a cohesive training camp.
The camp has been good. We thank the federation for giving us the chance to come together and train as one team so that we can play as a unit during the competition.
So far, so good. I also want to thank the government — they’ve done a great job allowing us to have an extended camp,” Wanjala said.
He also noted that a recent friendly match against Ghana, which ended in a 2-2 draw, was a valuable learning experience that exposed areas for improvement — lessons the team has taken to heart.
We had a friendly match with Ghana, and it was good. We ended in a 2-2 draw, which means there are some mistakes we need to correct.
Of course, they learned something from us as well, but for us, we are focusing on our side that’s what we’ve been working on: making corrections and clarifying things so that when the tournament starts, we’ll be ready to go,” he added.
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The Torrellano-based midfielder emphasized that the team’s primary objective is to secure qualification for the U20 FIFA World Cup — a goal that demands top performance throughout the competition.
Our main target is to qualify for the World Cup. After that, we’ll know we’re among the best. To qualify, we have to win all our upcoming matches, and if we keep winning, we’ll be champions.
I think we’ve really improved, especially as a team. Personally, my focus is entirely on this and the championship,” Wanjala stated.
Wanjala also had a bold message for Kenyan supporters, urging them to back the team with belief and pride.
The fans should get used to this they shouldn’t worry. We are fully prepared to face any team in the tournament. So far, so good. Any team that comes our way, we’ll deal with them as they come and as they deserve to be handled. Like I said before, we are here to win we didn’t come here as losers,” he concluded.
Rising Stars fixtures and schedule
Match Day 1: Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Rising Stars vs Morocco
- Starting time: 9 pm East African Time (EAT)
- Venue: 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt
Match day 2: Sunday, May 4, 2025
- Tunisia vs Kenya
- Starting time: 6 pm EAT
- Venue: 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt
Match day 3: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Kenya vs Nigeria
- Starting time: 6 pm EAT
- Venue: 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt