Harambee Starlets to battle Uganda in 2022 Awcon qualifier

Kenya’s national women’s football team, Harambee Starlets will take on Uganda's Crested Cranes in the second round of the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifiers.

Uganda advanced to the second round after beating Ethopia 2-1 on post-match penalties after the two teams tied 2-2 on aggregate at the end of the second leg at Bahir Dar International Stadium, Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Last Saturday, Starlets hammered South Sudan 7-1 in the second leg for a 15-1 aggregate scoreline.

The two-leg contest is scheduled for February 14 and February 23, 2022 respectively. 

“Getting past South Sudan in the first round was possible because we had enough time to prepare and we had a team that understood the significance of qualifying for the main competition.

We still stick to our strategy of keeping the players active in league matches and it will be good for us since the national league is starting in November and the players can use that time to improve on their skills and fitness which will be critical as we advance to the next levels,” said Charles Okere, Harambee Starlets head coach. 

In the 2016 Awcon, Kenya were knocked out in the group stage after losing to Ghana (3-1), Mali (3-1) and Nigeria (4-0) in Cameroon.

However, they didn't qualify for the 2018 competition after losing to Equatorial Guinea in the qualifying matches. 

The 2022 Awcon finals will take place in Morocco between July 2 to July 23 and will double up as the African qualifiers for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The top four teams will qualify for the World Cup, and two more teams will advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.