WAFCON: Odemba assures Kenya will put best foot forward in Morocco

Kenya women’s national team coach Beldine Odemba has vowed to display a good show in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after Harambee Starlets qualified on Tuesday.

Harambee Starlets booked their place in the (WAFCON) after a 1-0 win over Gambia in the return leg of the final qualification round played at the Stade Lat Dior in Thiès, Senegal. The result sealed a 4-1 aggregate victory, sending Kenya back to the continental stage for the first time in nine years.

In the return leg, the team recorded a 1-0 win, with Mwanalima Adam’s lone goal finding the back of the net in the 56th minute, completing the job and confirming their place at next year’s tournament in Morocco.

Kenya will not be participants in Morocco

“We must ensure we prepare adequately, we don’t want to go as participants, we want to go there (Morocco), and compete with the best,” said Odemba. “We know what happened in Cameroon, we must double our efforts, and make it better in Morocco.”

“We’ve waited for this moment for a long time. The girls have shown great character and heart in every game. It hasn’t been easy, but we stayed focused and believed in our goal, to bring Kenya back to the WAFCON stage.”

Odemba added: “Every training session, every friendly, every camp has built us up to this. The players deserve all the credit for their discipline and effort. We are proud of what we’ve achieved, and now we look ahead to Morocco.”

Apart from Kenya, other nations that secured tickets include hosts Morocco, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, who will be there to defend their continental title won earlier this year, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.

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