WAFCON: Odemba promises better performance from Harambee Starlets in Algeria test
By Luke Oluoch, August 2, 2026Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba expressed confidence in her team, assuring fans that their best is yet to be seen in Morocco.
Starlets lost 4-0 against Morocco in their opening match on Sunday, July 26, before succumbing to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Senegal four days later.
Kenya’s next test is against Algeria on Monday, August 3, 2026, at the Olympic Stadium, in their last preliminary match, needing a miracle to qualify.
Speaking on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in Rabat, Odemba noted the little progress in the team’s opening defeats while acknowledging that they remain keen to make the small gains count in the final group game.
Improvements
“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.
“We have been working on scoring; it is something that we have lacked for the last two matches. We have also improved on our defence. We conceded one goal in the second match, which is different from the four goals allowed against Morocco. That is the spirit going into tomorrow’s match; we want to push at least for a clean sheet for our keeper Awuor.”
The Kenyan reiterated her positive outlook in the face of Starlets’ slim chances to progress from the group.
“We still have 90 minutes, and we will give our best in the remaining time. We are positive we will fight and play like it is our first match and try to get something out of it,” she added.
Qualification prospects
Following the back-to-back losses, Kenya’s path to the knockout rounds is now exceptionally difficult. Kenya cannot finish in the top two above Morocco (6 points) or Senegal (3 points), having lost to both because CAF competitions utilise head-to-head records as the primary tiebreaker over goal difference
Furthermore, the Starlets carry a daunting -5 goal difference into their final group match against Algeria at 11:00 pm.