Junior Starlets defender Llorine Ilavonga has expressed strong confidence ahead of Kenya’s clash with Cameroon in the first leg of the final round of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier. The highly anticipated match is set for Sunday, April 20, at Nyayo Stadium.
Ilavonga cited lessons learned from their recent international friendlies in Morocco, where Kenya drew 1-1 and won 2-0 in Rabat, as crucial in preparing the team for the challenge ahead.
“The morale in the team is so high and we are determined as players to deliver good results. We learnt so many things during our first World Cup appearance in 2024 in the Dominican Republic. Playing against great teams like England gave us enough confidence of overcoming any other team in Africa, and that’s the same confidence we showed in the recent friendlies against Morocco,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Mwaroni JSS (Kwale) forward Mwanakombo Bakari, who called on fans to come out in large numbers to support them.
“We understand that it’s going to be a hard game but we are confident enough we will harvest maximum points. We played Morocco recently in international friendlies where we won 2-0 despite pulling a 1-1 draw in the first match and being that Morocco beat Cameroon then definitely they are beatable,” said Mwanakombo.
“The whole world is looking on us and our coaches and players are very eager to witness Starlets qualifying for the second time in the World Cup. I’m hereby appealing for support from our fans and as payers we promise not to let them down,” she added.
Goalkeeper Scovia Owuor emphasized the importance of home support and praised head coach Mildred Cheche for organizing the Morocco friendlies.
“The feeling in the camp is so exiting and amazing. We thank our coach Mildred Cheche for fighting for a chance to have friendly matches in Morocco and it has really helped to shape us. The match will not be easy and our coach always encourages us that this is a life-time opportunity so we should believe in ourselves and I believe we will win home and away. It’s awesome to play at home and we are urging our fans to fill the Stadium on Sunday. Cameroon has more World Cup experience than us and having fans in the stadium will encourage us to beat them,” Owuor added.
Junior Starlets are aiming for a second consecutive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup appearance, with the 9th edition of the tournament scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 7 to November 8, 2025.
Kenya progressed to the third and final qualification round after a dominant 5-0 aggregate win over Uganda. The second leg against Cameroon will be played on April 25 at Stade Olembe in Yaoundé.
Ticket Information: Tickets are available online at Tikiti.co.ke or by dialing *519*55#:
VVIP – Ksh. 5,000
VIP – Ksh. 2,000
Regular – Ksh. 100
Tickets will not be sold at the stadium on match day. Sales close on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
By Geoffrey Mwamburi
