- Rising Stars lost 2-0 to Burundi in their opening match of the CECAFA U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
- The Group C match was staged at Uhuru Stadium on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
- Selebwa will now aim to regroup his team ahead of Saturday, September 19, fixture against South Sudan.
Kenya National U20 head coach Gilbert Selebwa is confident the Rising Stars will bounce back strongly in their final Group C match of the CECAFA U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Sudan after a frustrating opening against Burundi.
The Rising Stars were on the wrong opening foot on Thursday night when they lost 2-0 to Burundi at the Uhuru Stadium.
It was Amini Nshimirimana who grabbed a brace in both halves to ensure his side secured back-to-back wins and qualified for the semi-finals, having also beaten South Sudan 4-0 in their opening game.
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Selebwa confident Rising Stars will bounce back against South Sudan
Speaking after the disappointing loss, the former Shabana coach acknowledged that Jean De Dieu Rukundo’s charges were good in their gameplay on Thursday.
However, he still believes his team has yet to build the necessary bond and cohesion, as it was his first competitive match since taking charge of the side.
“I think Burundi were on top of the game. If you look at most of the players, they’ve already gotten into the groove. This was my first competitive match after assembling this team,” Selebwa explained after the game.
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Selebwa believes they have identified the weaknesses that the Rising Stars exposed and will work on them ahead of the crucial clash, which they cannot afford to lose.
“There are weaknesses that we saw that we believe we can work on, even as we go to our final game against South Sudan. It is a very, very important game for us because we cannot afford to lose against South Sudan,” he added.
He also believes it will be a different ball game as they look to secure a place in the semi-finals.
“So I think they did lose four goals to zero against the same side. We’ve lost two goals to zero against the same side. I wish them well, but again, the game between us and South Sudan is just going to be a different ball game,” he reiterated.
Selebwa will now aim to regroup his team ahead of Saturday, September 19, fixture against South Sudan, where it is almost a must-win encounter, as Sudan will be battling Uganda, while Ethiopia take on hosts Tanzania.
With Burundi topping Group C, they now await a clash with the top team in Group A at the semi-final stage on September 22, while the top team in Group B will face the best second-placed team from all the groups.
The finalists will automatically qualify for the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027.