Audio By Vocalize
With just about 11 days to the first leg of the second round of the 2026 Fifa Under-17 World Cup qualifiers, Junior Starlets have stepped up their preparations in readiness for a clash against neighbours Uganda.
Starlets are gearing up for battle as they seek to advance to the third and final phase of qualifiers, as they look to secure their return to the global stage. They beat Namibia 7-1 on aggregate to book a date with Uganda, who eliminated Zimbabwe in the first round with a 6-1 victory.
Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche named the provisional squad that is currently in camp, preparing for a crucial two-legged encounter.
The first leg will be played at FUFA Stadium in Kadiba, Uganda, on May 22, and thereafter the Kenyans will welcome the Teen Cranes at Nyayo Stadium on May 30.
Cheche, who retained players from the first round, said that they are shaping the mindsets of players to play every opponent as if they were already at the World Cup.
“For all players, we have created a mentality that each match we are playing, we are treating it as a World Cup match. There shouldn’t be a difference in how we treat England or Uganda; we are looking for the same mentality, energy, and creativity,” Cheche said.
She added that they are training with Uganda’s system of play in mind, which is different from Namibia’s.
“Uganda is very aggressive and has skilled players, so we are training our players to tackle such players. The mentality we are creating for our players is to ensure that they adapt to that; compared to previous matches against Namibia, it was a bit slow,” said Cheche.
Defender Pauline Namisi was elated to have returned to camp for the second round, saying that they are determined to fight to the very end.
“Uganda is just like us; they are good and are physically strong, but that won’t scare us because we are ready and will fight until we qualify for the World Cup,” Namisi said.