NAIROBI, Kenya, May 21 — As the Junior Starlets prepare for their high-stakes World Cup qualification matches against Uganda, their regional calendar has become significantly busier.
Kenya has been drawn into a competitive Group A for the upcoming CECAFA Under-17 Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place in Tanzania from June 13-23.
The regional showpiece will serve as another vital development platform for East Africa’s rising female football talents just weeks before the continental spotlight shifts to the WAFCON tournament in July.
The draw sets up a thrilling East African derby right in the group stages.
The Junior Starlets will have to navigate past home-ground disadvantage as they take on the hosts, Tanzania.
The group is rounded out by Somalia and Sudan, offering Mildred Cheche’s technical bench a tactical variance of opponents as they look to assert their dominance in the region.
Group B will see perennial rivals Uganda headline a three-team pool that also features South Sudan and Djibouti, with the top teams from each group advancing to the knockout stages.
The CECAFA tournament comes at an incredibly intense period for the Kenyan youth setup. The Junior Starlets are currently preparing to face Uganda in a two-legged FIFA U17 World Cup qualifying tie on May 22 and May 30.
Depending on those results, the 10-day tournament in Tanzania will either serve as a high-tempo preparation camp for the final rounds of World Cup qualification or a vital competitive tournament to integrate new faces like Daisy Adongo, Grace Wangari, and Noelina Akuku into the international setup.
With the tournament kicking off on June 13, the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) is expected to release the full television schedule and fixtures at the host venues in Dar es Salaam in the coming days.
The Full Tournament Group
Group A: Tanzania (Hosts), Kenya, Somalia, Sudan
Group B: Uganda, South Sudan, Djibouti
