Hosts Kenya have suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the first leg of the final round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers played on Sunday.

The Kenya Junior Starlets kicked off the match on a high with Brenda Achieng missing the target after only 10 minutes at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

Against the run of play Cameroon took the lead through Tiwa Melong who placed the ball past Kenya’s goalkeeper Velma Abwire. After a few minutes the hosts created another opportunity, but Joan Ogola’s strike flew over the bar.

After recess, the Junior Starlets attacked on numbers and created many more scoring opportunities through Ogola, and substitutes Mitshell Waithera and Patience Asiko. Cameroon’s goalkeeper Jessica Mabou also made several important saves.

Mildred Cheche, the Kenya Junior Starlets coach said that although the team had played well, they failed to take the scoring chances. “We did all we could but Cameroon defended well to deny us a goal, they scored and resorted to play defensively,” said Chechje who added that have another 90 minutes to play for in the return leg.

Cameroon will host Kenya in the return leg on April 25th, at the Stade Olembe in Yaounde.  The aggregate winner will qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025 to take place in Morocco.

Two female referees from the CECAFA Zone referee Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda) and Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) are among the referees selected to officiate at the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Nabadda is among the 14 referees selected, while Mukansanga will be a VAR referee at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) organised competition slated for April 27th to May 18th in Egypt.

The Ugandan Nabadda has also officiated at top competitions like the 2024 Paris Olympics in France and the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Dominican Republic and the CAF African Women’s Championship (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The other referees from the CECAFA Zone who have been selected includes Dickens Mimisa Mnyagrowa (Kenya), while Yasir Abdelaziz Ahmed (Sudan) will also be a VAR referee. The three assistant referees selected from the Zone include; Sirak Samuel (Eritrea), Ally Hamdani Said (Tanzania) and Burundi’s Fides Bangurambona.

The U-20 AFCON which will feature 13 teams including Tanzania and Kenya from the Council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) Zone.

The four semi-finalists will qualify as the CAF representatives for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to take place in Chile.

Group A: Egypt, Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania

Group B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Morocco

Group C: Senegal, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ghana

Kenya have been placed in Group B of the forthcoming TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 that has Nigeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

The Confederation of African Football Associations (CAF) conducted the draw for the competition on Sunday in Cairo, Egypt.

It was a re-draw after the initial tournament meant to take place in Ivory Coast, was moved to Egypt to run April 27^th to May 18^th, 2025.

While Kenya have been placed in Group B, the CECAFA U-20 reigning champions Tanzania have been placed in Group A which will have five teams including hosts Egypt, Zambia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

The defending champions Senegal are placed in Group C alongside Central African Republic, DR Congo and Ghana who have lifted the trophy a record four times. Nigeria and Egypt have also lifted the U-20 African title three times apiece.

The four semi-finalists will qualify as the CAF representatives for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to take place in Chile.

Group A: Egypt, Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania

Group B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Morocco

Group C: Senegal, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ghana

Tanzania Premier League side, Simba Sports Club have booked a place in the semi-final stage of the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.

After losing the first leg 2-0 to Al Masry, the Tanzanian side replied by winning by the same margin and went on to win 4-1 in penalty shoot-outs at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Wednesday.

Motivated by the home fans Simba SC kick started the match with a lot of intent attacking in numbers, but the Egyptian side held on strong. But after 2 minutes Elie Mpanzu Nkibisawala put Simba SC ahead with a hard shot from yards away that beat Al Masry goalkeeper Mahmoud Ahmed.

Ten minutes later Ugandan International Steven Dese Mukwala nodded in Simba SC’s second goal from close range.

After recess the visiting team reorganized themselves and defended I numbers to deny the home side more goals. During the penalty shoot-outs Simba SC’s goalkeeper Moussa Camara saved two penalties, while Jean Charles Ahoua, Mukwala, Kibu Denis Prosper and Shomari Salum Kapombe all scored for Simba SC to ensure the Tanzanian side sealed through 4-1.

“I thank my players for the hard work because after losing the first leg they knew that they hard to work harder to be able to qualify for the next stage,” said Simba SC’s head coach Fadlu Davids after the match.

Simba SC will face the winner between Stellenbosch SC (South Africa) and Zamalek (Egypt) at the semi-final stage.