Beldine Odemba: Harambee Starlets Ready to Chase First World Cup Slot After WAFCON Qualification

Harambee Starlets coach Beldine Odemba has set lofty targets of qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup after they secured their spot at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Harambee Starlets ended a decade-long wait for a return to the continental showpiece. The qualification was sealed with a commanding 4-1 aggregate victory over The Gambia in the final qualifying round.

Building on a crucial 3-1 win in the first leg at the Nyayo National Stadium, Harambee Starlets travelled to Senegal and completed the job with a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the return fixture.

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The decisive goal came from captain and star forward Mwanalima ‘Dogo’ Adam, whose composure in front of goal proved the difference.

Their journey to Morocco was particularly highlighted by their earlier heroics against a strong Tunisian side, where they secured a memorable aggregate win.

This qualification marks only the second WAFCON appearance for Harambee Starlets, their first since their debut in 2016.

Beldine Odemba believes that after Harambee Starlets qualified for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), they are closer to making their debut at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil.

WAFCON now serves as the sole continental qualifier for the World Cup, meaning Harambee Starlets must aim for an exceptional performance at the tournament.

"We have requested for utmost support from the federation and the Ministry of Sports to help us achieve better than we did in the previous WAFCON. We also want to qualify for the World Cup,” Beldine Odemba said.

“We have requested that they walk with us so that we don’t just go to participate; we just want to go and compete. We want to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.”

The primary and most direct route for Kenya to qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup is by reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFCON tournament.

The four teams that reach the semi-finals of WAFCON will automatically secure one of Africa's direct qualification slots for the World Cup. For the Harambee Starlets, achieving this historic feat would immediately book their ticket to Brazil.

Should the team fall short of the semi-finals, there is a secondary path through an inter-continental play-off tournament, which provides an additional opportunity for African teams.

The two best-ranked quarter-finalists at WAFCON will proceed to a FIFA Play-Off Tournament. This gives Harambee Starlets another chance to qualify for the World Cup by competing against teams from other confederations.