The Kenya U17 Women’s team has received a bye to the third round after their second-round opponents, DR Congo, withdrew from the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.Starlets were set to face Congo in the first leg today in Lubumbashi and the return leg in a week’s time in Nairobi. Congo, however, wrote to CAF informing them that they have pulled out of the qualifiers, thereby handing Kenya an easy passage to the next round.##NAJAVA_MECA_7851464##The information has been relayed by FKF CEO Barry Otieno in a press statement.“The Kenya U17 Girls’ National team has qualified for the third round of the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers,” read Otieno’s statement in part. “The development comes in the wake of the withdrawal of RD Congo’s U17 girls’ national team from the ongoing qualifiers, as confirmed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The match between Kenya and RD Congo, scheduled for Sunday, February 4, 2024, will therefore not take place,” the statement reads in part. Kenya now await to learn of their next-round opponents. Ethiopia will host South Africa today in Addis Ababa for the first leg, with the return leg set to follow down south on Saturday.“As a result, Kenya’s Junior Starlets are now slated to face the winner of the match between South Africa and Ethiopia in the third round of the qualifiers. The two-legged qualifier is scheduled to take place between May 10 and May 19, 2024.”Head coach Mildred Cheche has since released the players back to their respective schools or clubs. “In light of these developments, the team’s training camp has regrettably been cut short, and the players have been released to return to their respective schools and clubs.”After the third round in May, the final round will officially take place between June 7–9 for the first legs, with the ultimate decider of the three nations representing Africa set for June 14–16.NSL: Rainbow out to pile more misery on bottom-placed Silibwet
