Kenya Starlets coach confident ahead of U17 FIFA Women's World Cup opener against China PR

Speaking ahead of the match, Cheche says they have had great preparations ahead of the global showpiece.

"We've had good preparation, the guys are ready for the match against China. It's going to be a very tough match but mentally they're prepared to handle the match. For the 21 players that we selected they are available for the match and everybody is fit to play and we are hoping that they give their best in tomorrow's match," Cheche said.

"We have invested a lot of confidence in the players and we are hoping that they get to showcase what they have."

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The Junior Starlets are making their second appearance in the World Cup, having made their debut in 2024 at the Dominican Republic.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Hussein Mohammed who travelled with the team says he has had talks with the team ahead of their opener and hopes they will make it out of the group stages.

"I've come to support our girls who are participating in the World Cup U17 competitions, the FIFA World Cup competition. We are here for the second time in this particular tournament, very exciting," Mohammed said. 

"The girls are in high spirits and I've given them words of encouragement. I've seen that they're quite motivated, so I want to thank everybody who's played a significant role in this journey to support this particular team. They are here to make Kenya proud which is indeed our hope and prayer that they go beyond the group stage."