• Kenya Lionesses coach Simon Odongo is confident of dethroning South Africa at the Africa Women’s Sevens Cup 2025.
• Odongo will lead his squad in their quest for glory as Kenya hosts the 2025 tournament from November 15 to 16 at the RFUEA Grounds along Ngong Road.
• Kenya, hosting for the second time since 2014, has been placed in Pool B alongside Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Kenya Lionesses coach Simon Odongo is confident his side has the upper hand to dethrone record champions South Africa and reclaim the Africa Women’s Sevens Cup this November.

Odongo will lead his squad in the quest for glory as Kenya hosts the 2025 tournament from November 15 to 16 at the RFUEA grounds on Ngong Road.

Speaking exclusively to SportPesa, Odongo, also known as Chesco, noted that previous losses to the South African Women’s Boks often occurred when his team was not at its best.

Kenya Lionesses coach confident of beating South Africa in Africa Women’s Sevens Cup

“Most of the time when we face South Africa, we’re not at our peak because we try not to peak too early. For them, there’s usually a lot at stake, and you’ll often find them already primed for the event,” he stated.

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The former Mwamba RFC player added that despite the Women’s Boks being the stronger side on paper with a record 11 titles, his team is ready.

He highlighted that in their four encounters this year, Kenya has emerged victorious three times.

“But for us, despite them being a strong side, we have the upper hand. We’ve faced them four times this year and won three, so we’re going to pick up from where we left off, the ladies are ready,” he affirmed.

Kenya Lionesses to play for pride and continental supremacy

Having already secured a historic qualification for the World Sevens Series second division, the Kenya Lionesses will be competing in this tournament not out of necessity, but for pride and the right to be crowned African champions.

“As the Kenya Lionesses, we pride ourselves on simply competing. We started this year aiming for the Challenger Series, and we said we would take it one game at a time. We will stick to that same mentality now,” Odongo said.

Kenya’s first and only Africa Women’s Sevens Cup victory was in 2018 when they defeated the Uganda Lady Cranes 29-7 in the finals in Gaborone, Botswana.

As they chase the title this time, Odongo also sees it as a crucial platform to build a formidable squad for the future.

“Knowing this is the African Championship, pride is at stake. We are currently regarded as the best team on the continent, and everyone will be coming here to knock us off our perch.

We are also focused on building our team’s depth as we prepare for the World Sevens Series second division and plan for promotion to the top tier.

While we are developing, we also want to build confidence in the players we have, especially considering a few key players are still out injured,” he explained.

Africa Women’s Sevens Cup 2025 Pools

This year’s tournament has drawn 12 teams, divided into four pools.

Kenya, hosting for the second time since 2014, is in Pool B alongside Ghana and Ivory Coast.

The team has reached the finals in the last two editions but lost to South Africa on both occasions, a result they are eager to avenge.

Reigning champions South Africa headline Pool A with Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

Kenya’s neighbors, Uganda, are in Pool C with Zambia and Burkina Faso, while one-time champions Tunisia headline Pool D with Egypt and Madagascar.

• POOL A: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius
• POOL B: Kenya, Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire
• POOL C: Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso
• POOL D: Madagascar, Tunisia, Egypt