Seasoned school coach Peter Mayoyo's advice to Rising Stars ahead of AFCON debut

The Salim Babu coached side landed in tough Group ‘C’ that has reigning champions Senegal, Zambia and Sierra Leone in the championship scheduled to run from April 26 to May 18 in Cote d'Ivoire.

Mayoyo says the underdog tag will help the Rising Stars survive pressure despite the threat posed by the west and north African opponents.

“Most of the teams in the two regions have players playing abroad hence they have the experience to dominate teams from our region. With the exposure opponents have, I want to urge our boys to prepare without pressure and also urge our fans to lower their expectations,” said Mayoyo.

The seasoned school football coach however fears the team’s preparations could be affected as many players are currently in school for the Term One session.

“Most of the top quality players in the team are still in school and by the time the tournament is taking place some will be in school. Just like it happened for the Junior Starlets during last year’s World Cup, so it’s a selection headache for the technical bench,” he added.

The veteran tactician also added that lack of playing time for the players who have joined football clubs in the league might also affect the team’s performance.

“The lucky ones who have the chance to join some football clubs are not getting enough playing time because of the level of competition so it’s another challenge.”

Kenya will represent the CECAFA region alongside Tanzania after the two teams reached the qualifiers final held in Dar es Salaam last October, with the hosts winning 2-1 but both sides qualified for the tournament.

Tanzania are in Group ‘A’ alongside hosts Cote d'Ivoire, DR. Congo, Ghana and one more team from the UNIFFAC region, pending confirmation.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals along with the two best third-placed sides, before the competition continues in a knockout format.

Four best teams will book tickets for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be held in Chile from 27 September-19 October, 2025.