Harambee Starlets hit camp with eyes firmly on Awcon qualification
New Harambee Starlets coach Alex Alumirah gestures during his unveiling at Nyayo National Stadium on January 24, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Harambee Starlets will be in camp for the next two weeks as they fine tune for the first leg match with Uganda on February 13 in Kampala
- The winner of the two-leg contest between the East and Central Africa giants will qualify for the African final in Morocco set for July 2 to 23
- The Kenya women’s team advanced to the second round after hammering poor South Sudan 15-1 on aggregate in their first round qualifier staged at the Nyayo National Stadium in October
Kenya’s Harambee Starlets started training camp Thursday at Moi International Sports |Centre, Kasarani ahead of their 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) second round qualifier against Uganda.
Harambee Starlets will be in camp for the next two weeks as they fine tune for the first leg match with Uganda on February 13 in Kampala. The return leg will be on February 17 in Nairobi.
The winner of the two-leg contest between the East and Central Africa giants will qualify for the African final in Morocco set for July 2 to 23.
The Kenya women’s team advanced to the second round after hammering poor South Sudan 15-1 on aggregate in their first round qualifier staged at the Nyayo National Stadium in October.
Uganda on the other hand beat Ethiopia 2-1 in post-match penalty kicks after the sides had locked 2-2 on aggregate.
This will be Kenya’s third consecutive attempt to qualify for the continental finals after their appearance in the 2016 final in Cameroon where they lost to Ghana, Mali and Nigeria in the group stage.
Starlets are confident of a good show against Uganda following their last encounter in their final group stage match of the 2019 Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) Women Challenge Cup, where they humiliated the Crested Cranes 3-0 at the Chamazi Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“The first step is already done with the team in camp, our next challenge is to get their chemistry, fitness and mindset in check in preparation for a memorable return to the competition,” said a confident sound, newly appointed Starlets coach Alex Alumirah.
He added: “We expect the players currently in Europe to start arriving at least a week into our training so that we can all be in sync as we draw closer to the first leg. We are confident that this time we will qualify with the team having the advantage of both experienced and young, fresh players hungry for glory.”
The 2022 Awcon will also be used as the qualifiers for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The top four teams will earn their place in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, while two more teams will proceed to the inter-confederation play-offs.
This will be the 12th edition of the continental contest and will be the first to feature 12 teams.
Since 1998, the biennial competition has featured eight teams until, the Confederation of African Football made it a 12-nation affair in July 2019.
