The national women’s U17 football team, Junior Starlets, are in action on Sunday, 20 April, from 3 PM, as they take on Cameroon in a crucial FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualification match at Nyayo Stadium.Skipper Halima Imbachi says the SOYA Team of the Year is ready to carry the day as they host the first leg of the decisive qualifier, with the return fixture scheduled for Friday, 25 April in Yaoundé.Follow Our WhatsApp Channel For More News!!!##NAJAVA_MECA_8867602##“The friendly matches we played against Morocco played a good part in our preparations. The North Africans have played Cameroon before, and the two teams have similarities that will help us handle the Central Africans,” the captain offered, adding that Cameroon’s history with Kenyan teams puts them under no pressure.In 2023, the Kenya U20 team Rising Starlets lost against Cameroon 6-2 on aggregate to bow out of the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.The same year, the senior women’s team, Harambee Starlets, lost 1-0 to the Indomitable Lionesses in Douala before overturning the result in Nairobi for a 1-0 win to head to post-match penalties where they East Africans won 4-3 to qualify for the final round of WAFCON qualifier against Gambia scheduled for October.Nyayo Stadium is the place to be this Sunday! 😁Junior Starlets wakipambana na Cameroon mbona mkose? Tickets🎟️ 👉 https://t.co/x2aSKkySWc or Dial: *519*55#Regular: 100VIP: 2000VVIP: 5000🚫 No ticket sales on matchday so hurry and get yours today! #GoJuniorStarlets pic.twitter.com/IF8BITl9rG— Harambee Starlets (@StarletsKE) April 18, 2025 “We expect a tough match. Cameroon are advantaged physically, but we are banking on our tactics. I believe football is a mental game, and we are not focusing on their physicality. They have previously won against our senior teams, but that puts us under no pressure as this is a different team and we are ready to prove ourselves,” Imbachi offered.The captain maintains that making the ninth edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, in Morocco, a first for Africa to host, featuring an increased 24 teams, from 17 October to 8 November, has the team motivated.Up to Ksh12.9 million awaits Timothy Cheruiyot in stacked Miami Grand Slam TrackImbachi, who succeeded Elizabeth Ochaka as captain, played in the 2024 World Cup in the Dominican Republic, where Kenya finished third in Group C with three points, after defeating Mexico 2-1. Coach Mildred Cheche will have the services of several players who played last year led by the skipper.Others include keepers Scovia Awuor and Velma Abwire, forwards Mitshel Waithera, Joy Angela, Joan Ogola, as well as defender and co-captain Lorine Ilavonga, among others.##NAJAVA_MECA_8868137##
