Junior Starlets face Japan in historic World Cup showdown

By  Toto Arege

Correspondent

NMG Sport

Kenya's Junior Starlets face a daunting task today as they take on Asian giants Japan in a 2026 Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup round of 16 match at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, Morocco.

The match will kick off at 7pm local time (9pm Kenyan time).

Coach Mildred Cheche and her girls will write history as the first Kenyan team to play in the knock-out stages of a Fifa World Cup, be it the Women’s Under-17 tourney.

Other African nations featuring in the round of 16 are hosts Morocco, Ghana and Nigeria. The other African representative Zambia were eliminated in the group stage.

Kenya endured a difficult start in Group “E”, losing 3-0 to China before suffering a crushing 6-1 defeat at the hands of the United States to all but stand eliminated from the competition.

The determined Starlets literally escaped from jail, pulling off a 4-0 victory over Somao to secure their place in the last 16 as the last of the four third best-placed teams.

Cheche has acknowledged that Japan, a team they are meeting for the first time, will pose a formidable test.

“Japan will not be an easy opponent, but we will do our best,” she said in a post-match interview after the victory over Samoa.

Japan are, in fact, the number one ranked team in women’s under-17, while their opponents Kenya, are placed 29th out of 46 nations.

Japan topped Group ‘D’ with a perfect record of nine points from three matches, scoring nine goals without conceding.

Coached by Sadayoshi Shirai, the four-time Asian champions will enter the encounter as overwhelming favourites.

Japan were champions of this same tournament in 2014.

They made their Under-17 World Cup debut at the inaugural tournament in New Zealand in 2008.

Japan have played in every edition of the biennial tournament.

Their finest moment came in 2014 in Costa Rica, when they lifted the diadem after beating Spain 2-0 in the final.

The Japanese lost 5-4 to defending champions North Korea on penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regulation time in the 2016 final in Jordan.

They were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2025 editions.

In comparison, Kenya are making only their second appearance.

Junior Starlets were eliminated in the group stages in the 2024 tournament in the Dominican Republic with two losses and a win.

Midfielder Lindey Weey scored Kenya’s consolation goal against the US, while striker and player of the tournament Mwanakombo Bakari was on targets twice and Brenda Awuor and Gaudencia Maloba once in the romp against Samoa.

These players will be key for Kenya as they look to pull off an unlikely upset,

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