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Odemba reveals Kenya’s WAFCON experience and future targets ahead of final group test against Algeria
03rd August, 2026 09:18 AM
Ahead of Kenya’s final group match in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations clash in Morocco this Monday, August 3, 2026, head coach Beldine Odemba has admitted that the team has drawn plenty of valuable lessons from their past WAFCON experience.
The women’s team looks destined for an early exit from the tournament in their second-ever appearance on the continental stage, ten years after their debut in 2016.
The coach said the experience so far has been an important learning curve.
Whole new challenge
“We have already seen the different levels of other teams and opponents, as well as the standard needed for this elevated stage. We only have one player who was here before, but she did not feature. It has also been a long time since we last qualified, so it is a whole new challenge for the team. We needed this experience to learn and see where we stand. So, it has been a tough new challenge, but one filled with lessons learned,” she said.
The gaffer added that despite being among the top teams to secure qualification in October 2025, she believes Kenya must make qualifying for every edition of the continental showpiece a habit if the nation wants to leave a lasting mark on the continent.
Future WAFCON goals
“Going forward, our main objective is to qualify for every edition and play regularly. This will help us improve, get better, and earn the chance to represent Africa on even bigger stages,” she opined.
Meanwhile, the coach has also expressed confidence in her charges, assuring fans that their best is yet to be seen in Morocco.
“We have been playing much better than in the previous match. We keep on improving in our matches, and it is our target to improve in all the departments; it could be slow progress, but we are determined, and I am hopeful we will play better than the previous matches,” she stated.
She underscored the importance of utilising their goal-scoring chances, an undoing she said haunted them during the 1-0 loss to Senegal.
Qualification prospects
Following the back-to-back losses, Kenya’s path to the knockout rounds is now exceptionally difficult. Kenya faces a mountain of a task to make it to the two teams who will progress to the knockout stage.
Furthermore, the Starlets carry a daunting -5 goal difference into their final group match against Algeria at 11:00 pm
