News Focus
- Harambee Starlets will travel to Lusaka, Zambia for a four-nation invitational tournament in early June
- The competition acts as the final preparation stage for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco
- Kenya will face hosts Zambia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe in round-robin fixtures
- This marks Kenya’s second appearance at the continental finals, ten years after their 2016 debut in Cameroon
- Head coach Beldine Odemba will use the matches to finalise her tournament squad
Kenya’s women’s national football squad, the Harambee Starlets, are preparing for a crucial pre-tournament camp in Zambia next month. The team will take part in a four-nation invitational event in Lusaka as they finalise their plans for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Coach Beldine Odemba’s side qualified for the Morocco finals earlier this year. This will be only the second time that Kenya has reached this stage of the competition, following their first appearance at the 2016 tournament in Cameroon a decade ago.
The Lusaka competition will see the Starlets compete against three fellow African sides. Hosts Zambia currently sit highest in the FIFA rankings at 64th position. Burkina Faso rank 118th, while Zimbabwe occupy 127th place – just one spot above Kenya in 128th.
This event follows the team’s recent success at the FIFA Series held in Nairobi during April. On home soil, the Starlets secured second place behind world champions Australia, finishing ahead of India and Malawi.
The round-robin format will take place over two matchdays at the start of June. Odemba plans to use these fixtures to settle her final squad and test tactical approaches against strong continental opposition before heading to Morocco in late July.