Junior Starlets keep World Cup dream alive

Junior Starlets has kept the dream for second World Cup ticket, as they advance to the third and final round of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

This is after Mildred Cheche’s charges fought to a scoreless draw against a stubborn Uganda’s Teen Cranes in a tense second-leg encounter played at the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The barren draw on home soil was enough to see the Starlets book a spot in the ultimate stage on the away goals rule, following a crucial 1-1 draw in the first leg played at the FUFA Stadium in Kampala on Friday, May 22.

Speaking after the match, Uganda’s head coach Sheryl Botes expressed immense pride in her team's tactical evolution despite missing out on progression.

"I am very proud of the girls, the way we played today," Botes stated. "If you look at the way we played in 2025, this is a huge improvement. There's so much maturity in the team now... The performance was 100%. The margin of error between us and Kenya was very, very minimal, and it could have gone either way."

Botes added that they had altered their formation to use two attacking strikers to exploit Kenya's long-ball approach from the first leg. "I thought that first half we could have killed the game. We were better than Kenya in the first half... but this is the team for the future."

On her part, Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche admitted that while playing at home carries unique pressures, the aggregate advantage from Kampala proved saving.

"The match was tough. Of course, playing at home is an advantage, but it was still difficult. However, we are grateful for the advantage we secured in the first leg," Cheche remarked.

Cheche revealed that ahead of the clash, her instructions to the squad were clear regarding safeguarding their away-goal cushion.

"We told them that we had the initial advantage. So, if we couldn't manage to score, we had to defend effectively to get the result we needed from this game to progress to the next stage, where we can then plan properly."

The tactician also singled out team captain Beverline Awuor for her exceptional defensive leadership after being tracked into a deeper position to stabilize the backline.

"Beverline played exceptionally well as captain. She has truly been the edge of this team. We switched her position because we wanted to strengthen our defense... and that ultimately made things easier for us."

The Junior Starlets are now just 180 minutes away from booking a ticket to the global showpiece in Morocco, scheduled for October this year.

They will face the winner of the aggregate tie between South Africa and Tanzania in the final qualifying round, a challenge Cheche notes will require quick preparation with the fixtures only four weeks away.

"The final round will not be easy either... our zone is highly competitive. Both Tanzania and South Africa are tough opponents. Because we are starting away, we must try to secure an advantage on the road so that when we return home for the second leg, the task becomes much easier," Cheche concluded.