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Coach Odemba gives honest analysis of Harambee Starlets’ WAFCON campaign
04th August, 2026 02:30 PM
The national women’s football team, Harambee Starlets, bowed out of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Algeria at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Monday, August 3, 2026.
The loss saw the Starlets finish bottom of Group A without a point, having lost all their three group matches without finding the back of the net in any of their group outings.
Hosts Morocco topped the group with seven points, while Algeria advanced to the knockout stage with six points. Senegal also exited the tournament after failing to progress.
Speaking after the match, Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba said the team would use the experience gained in Morocco as a learning opportunity heading into the future international competitions.
“We had hoped to perform better today and throughout the tournament. We have picked valuable lessons, particularly in our tactical approach and preparation. We have also learnt the importance of converting the chances we create. Although we had good preparations, including participating in the FIFA Series, playing more international friendly matches would have made a difference,” said Odemba.
Mohamed reacts
On his part, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohamed acknowledged the disappointing campaign, saying the federation would now focus on rebuilding the team ahead of future assignments, pointing out valuable experience gained by the Starlets despite failing to impress in North Africa.
“It has been ten years since we last featured in the continent’s biggest women’s football competition. The most important thing is that we have gained valuable experience. It is disappointing that we did not win a single match, but we will go back, correct our mistakes and plan well to build a stronger team for the future,” he said.
As Starlets also failed to score a goal during their return to the continental tournament after a decade-long absence, football enthusiasts back in Kenya blamed the criteria used by the relevant authorities to select the national team players for such high-profile tournaments
Kenya made their WAFCON debut in Cameroon in 2016, where they scored two goals but were eliminated at the group stage also without testing victory in the continents premier women football competition.
