Junior Starlets to play against Valencia, Portugal ahead of U17 World Cup

By Peter Ochieng

The Kenya National U17 Women's football team, Junior Starlets will play three friendly matches within a week, ahead of the 2024 edition of the FIFA U17 World Cup, in the Dominican Republic, next month.

The Coach Mildred Cheche led side is in Spain for a pre-tournament training camp.

The 2024 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup will kick off on October 16, with the final set for November 3.

Junior Starlets comprising majorly of Secondary School students have a date with Valencia Women on Wednesday.

On Friday, they will come up against Portugal, before battling against local side, Intercity CF on Monday next week.

Cheche said the friendly matches will psychologically prepare her charges on what to expect during the World Cup.

“Playing tough friendly matches will be key because they will help us measure up against opponents of a higher caliber because this is what we expect when we play at the World Cup. It is very key for us also psychologically for the girls,” she added, as quoted by Capital FM Sports.

Midfielder Pearl Olesi spoke on the team’s experience in Spain so far.

The team left the country for Spain last week.

“We’re really enjoying our time in Spain. The training has been intense, and we’re looking forward to these friendlies. Our goal is to get positive results and sharpen our skills as we prepare for the World Cup."

The Junior Starlets will start their group stage matches on October 18 against England.

They will then face former Champions, South Korea on October 20, before completing their group fixtures on October 24 against Mexico.

According to Coach Cheche, their minimum target is to make it out of the group stage.

Junior Starlets are the first Kenyan side to ever qualify for a FIFA tournament.