Coach Salim Babu believes that Rising Stars will punch above weight in the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) despite being handed tough opponents in what will be their first appearance in the tournament.Stars were drawn in Group C alongside; defending champions Senegal, Zambia and Sierra Leone during the draw conducted on Thursday.The Kenyan boys booked a slot in the tournament after finishing second in the CECAFA qualifiers, held in October last year in Tanzania. Reacting to the draw, Babu tipped the team to defy all odds and exceed expectations in the tournament, that will be staged in Ivory Coast between 26 April and 18 May.##NAJAVA_MECA_8711019##The soft-spoken tactician said this will only come to pass if the team regroups on time and is afforded good preparations. Babu, who doubles up as the U17 and U18 national teams coach, termed the rest of the teams in the pool as tough, but expressed optimism in Stars shining. ” I am confident we will do well in Ivory Coast if we prepare well. Good results in football are not achieved by luck but quality preparations. We will face good teams in the tournament, but I believe our players are equal to the task,” said Babu. Why highly-rated Rising Stars midfielder chose KCB over move to EuropeWith the four top teams in the tournament guaranteed a place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile , Babu said it was possible for the Kenyan team to do the unthinkable in Abidjan. ” It is possible to be among the teams that will get World Cup slots. If we get it right, preparation-wise, then we stand a chance,” added the Nairobi City Stars coach. The national U17 girls’ team remains the sole Kenyan football team to have ever graced the World Cup having featured in the 2024 finals in the Dominican Republic in October last year. Title race getting tougher for KCB as bankers surrender three points to ten-man SofapakaAFCON 2025, which is consists of 13 teams will follow a three-group format, with Group A containing five teams, while Groups B and C each feature four teams.The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams. From there, the tournament will proceed in a knockout format
