Harambee Starlets will be looking to get a favorable result in the first leg of the 2024 Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifier against the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon on Friday at the Stade de Reunification de Doula.
Starlets who are back to contenting for a slot in the tournament after being locked out of the past edition will be hoping to announce their return emphatically by securing a result that will enable them to secure easy passage to the second round.
Should Starlets beat Cameroon in the two-legged qualifier, they will face either Gabon or Botswana in the second round, scheduled between November 27 and December 5, 2023.
The winner of the second round will secure automatic qualification for the 2024 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, which will be hosted in Morocco.
Starlets will host Cameroon in Nairobi for the second leg on September 26, 2023.
Starlets, who have been preparing for the clash in the last three weeks or so, played two friendly matches before departure, allowing coach Beldine Odemba to spot the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
The national team beat the Kenya Police Bullets 1-0 before beating Highway Secondary School 2-1 in test matches.
In respect to Cameroon’s rank on the global table and the number of international stars in the team, coupled with the fact that they will be playing at home, Odemba can only hope that her charges will rise to the occasion, pull an upset in Doula, and get the job done in Nairobi.
The two sides met seven years ago, with Cameroon winning 2-1 in front of their fans during the 2016 AWCON and beating the Kenyan girls 1-0 in Nairobi in an international friendly match.
Meanwhile, Namibian officials will handle the game that is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. Eastern African Time.
Antsino Twanyanyukwa will serve as the center referee. With Ndegathetwa Amukuu being the first assistant referee,
Eveline Lungameni will be the second assistant referee, and Nuusiku Vistoria will be the reserve whistler.
The match commissioner for this encounter, Huguette Defaye Bibaya hails from Gambia, while the referee assessor will be Fadouma Dia from Senegal.
