Focus on Kenya's Harambee Starlets as CAF conducts WAFCON 2026 draw in Rabat

Harambee Starlets will on Thursday learn their opponents for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) when the official draw is conducted in Rabat, Morocco.

The draw, scheduled for 4:00 PM East Africa Time, will outline Kenya’s path at the continent’s premier women’s football tournament and mark another key milestone in the team’s return to the African stage.

Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba will lead the Kenyan delegation in the draw, and is already in Rabat.

Kenya secured qualification for WAFCON 2026 after a resilient and disciplined campaign in the qualifiers, underlining the steady progress made by the women’s national team in recent years.

The Starlets’ qualification ended a long wait and reaffirmed their growing competitiveness, earned through tactical maturity, squad depth, and improved investment in the women’s game.

Their return to the tournament places them among Africa’s elite and offers an opportunity to test themselves against the best on the continent.

The 2026 WAFCON will be the first expanded edition of the competition, featuring 16 teams, up from 12 in previous tournaments. Scheduled to run from March 17 to April 3, 2026, the expanded format guarantees more matches and heightened competition, while providing nations with a clearer pathway to the knockout rounds and increased international exposure.

Kenya will join a strong field of qualified teams including record champions Nigeria, defending champions South Africa, tournament hosts Morocco, Zambia, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Tunisia, Botswana, and Tanzania. The depth of quality in the expanded field underlines the scale of the challenge awaiting the Starlets.

As they await the draw, Kenya will be keen to avoid early clashes with traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia.

However, the Starlets carry confidence from a qualification campaign that showcased their resilience and ability to compete under pressure—qualities that will be crucial regardless of group placement.

For Harambee Starlets, today’s draw is more than a formality—it is the first step in shaping their WAFCON 2026 journey and a moment to measure ambition against the continent’s very best.