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Remarkable comeback sees Junior Starlets beat South Africa and qualify for U17 World Cup
12th July, 2026 05:48 PM
Kenya’s U17 women’s team, the Junior Starlets, have rewritten the country’s football folklore with a second U17 World Cup qualification after a 3-1 victory over South Africa on Sunday, July 12, 2026.
Mildred Cheche’s team thrashed South Africa 3-1 at Nyayo National Stadium to complete a 6-1 aggregate victory and secure their return to the global competition after featuring in the 2024 edition in the Dominican Republic.
Starlets will now head to Morocco for the youth competition on October 7, 2026.
South Africa scare
Coming off a 2-0 win in the first-leg meeting in South Africa, Starlets had their tails up and one foot in but were forced to battle the hard way against the resilient Bantwana.
The two teams had advanced to the third and final round of African youth qualifiers after they eliminated Uganda and Tanzania in their second-round clashes.
Kenya advanced on away-goal rules following a 0-0 draw at home in Nyayo National Stadium against the Teen Cranes as South Africa edged Tanzania 2-0 in the return leg clash to sail through.
The visitors kicked off on a strong footing at Nyayo and breached Michel Okoyo’s goal inside the opening five minutes after a defensive miscommunication.
A hostile Nyayo Stadium, however, worked well in calming the Kenyans’ nerves, with massive supporters present playing a factor in Kenya’s comeback after the breather.
Gaudancia Maloba sparked the hosts’ comeback, tracing the ball’s trajectory well from a high cross from the right wing to beat the keeper with a header from close range.
World Cup return
The goal restored the pressure to the Bantwana, and the visitors’ afternoon turned from bad to worse after Cheche’s team doubled their lead with four minutes left to play.
Substitute Elizabeth Alizeba rounded off the scoring to seal the easy win for Kenya and complete the dream return to the youth competition.
Kenya will now join 20 other teams in their second appearance at the FIFA U17 World Cup.
The 10th edition of the Women’s World Cup will kick off between October 17, 2026, and November 7, 2026. The teams include Morocco (hosts), Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China PR, France, Germany, Japan, North Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Spain, USA, and Venezuela.
