- Harambee Starlets face a tough group of death in Rabat, playing Morocco on July 26, Senegal on July 30, and Algeria on August 3.
- The top two teams advance to the Quarterfinals on August 8–9 to face opponents from Group B, which features South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania.
- Reaching the Semifinals or winning the quarterfinals guarantees automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Confederation of African Football has finalized the official match schedule for the expanded sixteen-team 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which is set to take place in Morocco from July 25 to August 16, 2026.
Kenya’s national women’s team, the Harambee Starlets, has been drawn into a highly competitive Group A alongside host nation Morocco, Senegal, and Algeria, a lineup already widely referred as the ‘group of death’.
Coach Beldine Odemba’s side faces a challenging but historic opportunity as they return to the continental stage, with all of their group stage matches scheduled to take place in the capital city of Rabat.
The Starlets will kick off their campaign with the opening match of the tournament against the hosts, Morocco, on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 23:00 East Africa Time (EAT) at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
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Following their opener, Kenya will move to the Rabat Olympic Stadium for their second group fixture against Senegal on Thursday, July 30, 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 EAT.
The team will wrap up their group-stage fixtures back at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Monday, August 3, 2026, facing off against Algeria at 23:00 EAT, where final group placements will be determined.
Under the newly implemented tournament structure, the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance directly to the Quarterfinals, scheduled for August 8 and 9, 2026.
Group A is structurally paired with Group B, which features powerhouse South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and regional neighbors Tanzania.
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If the Harambee Starlets manage to win Group A, they will be matched against the runners-up of Group B in the quarterfinals.
Conversely, if Kenya secures a second-place finish in their group, they will go head-to-head with the winners of Group B, setting up potential high-profile encounters against last edition semifinalists South Africa or a formidable Ivory Coast side.
Advancing past the quarterfinals would push the Starlets into the Semifinals on August 12, 2026, in Rabat, where they would cross paths with survivors from Groups C and D, which include ten-time continental champions Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, or Cameroon
The stakes for reaching the knockout rounds are incredibly high, as WAFCON 2026 serves as Africa’s direct qualifying pathway for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
A victory in the quarterfinals guarantees an automatic ticket to the World Cup, while teams that fall short in the quarterfinals will still have a secondary lifeline via the repechage play-off round on August 13.
Harambee Starlets WAFCON 2026 Fixtures
Match 1: Morocco vs Kenya
- Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026
- Time: 23:00 EAT
Match 2: Senegal vs Kenya
- Date: Thursday, July 30, 2026
- Time: 20:00 EAT
Match 3:Kenya vs Algeria
- Date: Monday, August 3, 2026
- Time: 23:00 EAT