Kenya’s Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche acknowledges the fact that her team will be viewed as “underdogs” but fancies that tag heading to their first-ever FIFA U17 World Cup appearance in the Dominican Republic from Wednesday 16 October to Sunday 3 November 2024.Junior Starlets, who booked their spot in the FIFA U17 tournament after thumping Burundi 5-0 on aggregate in June, are placed in Pool C, where they will go up against 2016 quarter-finalists England, two-time champions North Korea, and 2018 finalists Mexico.Concerns after player is ‘dropped’ from Kenya U17 squad set for FIFA World CupSpeaking of the team’s prospects on the world stage, Cheche, who is expected to name the travelling squad on Wednesday said: “We’ve improved on several areas we had gaps and strengthened the team.“As you’d expect, playing internationally is different from playing regionally, as we will meet the best of the best and we need them prepared.”As part of the team’s preparations, a total of 23 players will on Thursday 19 September depart the country to Spain for an 11-day training camp, where they are expected to take part in a couple of friendly matches before moving on to the Caribbean on Tuesday 1 October.The Junior Harambee Starlets are gearing up for their journey to Spain on Thursday, September 19, 2024, for an 11-day training camp! 🇪🇸 After that, they’ll be off to the Dominican Republic for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup! 🌍⚽️ #GoJuniorStarlets pic.twitter.com/mr1DatojGc— Kenn Okaka Kenya (@kennokaka1000) September 17, 2024 “Playing teams in Spain will prepare the girls well,” Cheche said. “All teams in the World Cup are really good and being our first time, we are viewed as underdogs. “I look at it (being underdogs) as an advantage because no one knows how we play. However, we will be up to the task.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8342685##Meanwhile, Junior Starlets midfielder Velma Awuor said it would be a “dream come true” for her to feature at the World Cup saying: “Growing up, I only heard about World Cups but now I will be playing in one. We have already made history and it’s now up to us to go and achieve the impossible.”
