Harambee Starlets’ long-awaited return to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has ended in heartbreak, with Kenya bowing out of the 2026 tournament in Morocco without a single point, goal, or moment of celebration to show for their efforts.
A 2-0 defeat to Algeria in Rabat on Monday confirmed what had already been mathematically sealed days earlier: elimination from Group A. Kenya needed a big win and help from elsewhere to sneak into the quarter-finals as one of the best third-placed sides, but found themselves two goals down within 23 minutes and could not recover.
It capped a brutal group campaign that began with a 4-0 hammering by hosts Morocco and continued with a narrow 1-0 loss to Senegal, where the Starlets pushed hard for an equaliser but were let down by poor decision-making in the final third. Against Algeria, the story was much the same, self-inflicted errors punished ruthlessly by a sharper opponent.
Head coach Beldine Odemba had spoken of shifting focus match by match, working on defensive compactness after the Morocco mauling and targeting Kenya’s first-ever WAFCON win before departing Morocco. That milestone, however, remains unclaimed; the Starlets leave the tournament having shipped seven goals without reply and failed to find the net in any of their three matches.
Still, for a team making just its second-ever WAFCON appearance and first since 2016, simply qualifying marked a significant step for women’s football in Kenya. The lessons from Rabat, game management, composure under pressure, and conversion in the final third, will now shape preparations for the next assignment, with the elusive maiden win still to be chased another day.
