Harambee Starlets set to face Benin and Ivory Coast for pre-WAFCON friendlies
By Luke Oluoch, February 22, 2026Harambee Starlets is set to face off against Benin and Ivory Coast in a series of friendlies as part of their preparations for the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
According to an update from FKF on Sunday, February 22, 2026, Beldine Odemba’s team will face Benin in the first friendly on March 2, 2026, before facing the Ivorians two days later.
Additionally, the team will also travel to France for a pre-tournament camp to ramp up their preparation for the 15th edition of the women’s championship.
WAFCON preparations
“Harambee Starlets will travel to the Ivory Coast for two international friendly matches before proceeding to a pre-tournament training camp as preparations intensify for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON),” part of FKF’s statement on the team’s pre-tournament itinerary stated.
The team is first scheduled to depart on Saturday, February 28, 2026, for Abidjan, a couple of days before their opening test against Benin.
Both matches will be staged at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara d’Ebimpé.
After the two fixtures, the squad will travel to Miramas, France, for a residential training camp that will run until March 15, 2026, before heading to Morocco for the continental tournament.
Starlet’s trip to France comes days after FKF president Hussein Mohammed led a delegation of FKF officials to the European nation on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Hussein later announced brokering a deal with the mayor of the city of Miramas, where, as part of the agreement, the Kenyan Harambee Starlets team would pitch camp in the country ahead of the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) games, to be held in Morocco.
The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will run from March 17 to April 3, 2026. The Starlets are in a tricky pool A against hosts Morocco, Algeria, and Senegal.
Group opponents
They will open their Group A campaign against hosts Morocco on March 17. The Starlets will then face Senegal on March 20 before concluding the group stage against Algeria on March 23.
Kenya will be seeking improved tidings on their first return to the continental championship since 2019, when they exited at the preliminary stages.
Odemba has already named her provisional squad for the clash. The ladies have been hard at work at the Kasarani Stadium for weeks now as they await the arrival of more foreign-based stars.