Kenya U17 Women’s team eliminated from World Cup

The Kenya U17 women's team, the Junior Starlets, has been eliminated from the ongoing U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic, with one group stage match remaining.

After suffering consecutive defeats to England and North Korea, the Junior Starlets will play their final match against Mexico on Thursday morning before heading back home.

Kenya lost 2-0 to England on Friday morning and then faced a 3-0 defeat against North Korea on Sunday night. Following Sunday’s loss, Kenya’s hopes of advancing depended on a Mexico victory over England in the other Group C match. However, England’s 4-2 win over Mexico sealed Kenya’s fate, eliminating both Kenya and Mexico from the tournament. Mexico had previously lost 4-1 to North Korea on Friday.

This tournament marked Kenya's debut at the World Cup. Despite an unbeaten run in pre-tournament friendlies, the team faced challenges on the global stage.

Team captain Elizabeth Ochaka acknowledged the tough competition, stating, "The game was tough; we played against very good teams. We've learned a lot and identified our weaknesses, which we will work on to better prepare next time."

She also urged fans to continue supporting the team. "I want to encourage the fans to keep backing us and not lose hope. This was our first World Cup, and we did our best. When we return home, we will train harder to come back stronger," Ochaka added.

Ahead of their final match, coach Mildred Cheche aims to address the team's slow starts, as they have often conceded early goals before finding their rhythm. This is a key focus area for improvement going forward.

The Junior Starlets made history on Friday by becoming the first-ever Kenyan football team to participate in a World Cup.