Kenya’s Junior Starlets are poised for a historic return to the FIFA World Cup stage, as they face Uganda in the second round of the 2025 qualifiers.

The first leg of the second-round match will be staged in Kampala between 7-9 March 2025, while the second leg is slated for Nairobi on the weekend of 14-16 March.

The aggregate winner of the match will battle for a ticket to Morocco in the third round, facing the winner of the match between Cameroon and Ethiopia.

Fresh from their trailblazing performance in the Dominican Republic last year, the Under-17 national women’s team will look to continue their remarkable journey, with Uganda standing in their way after a dominant 18-1 aggregate victory over hapless Namibia in Kampala.

Both matches were staged at Nakivubo Stadium in Uganda’s capital, where the hosts registered a 10-0 win in the first leg and capped the performance with another scintillating show, securing an 8-1 triumph in front of home fans.

“Obviously, our plan was to give an opportunity to the players who did not feature in the first leg. You could see the young players’ desire to showcase their capabilities, and the only way to assess them is to play them. This gave us a clear indication that there is a gap between the team that played in the first match and the one we paraded for the return leg,” Uganda coach Sheryl Botes noted.

Now, the task ahead is a daunting one against the Junior Starlets, who achieved a great football milestone last year by becoming Kenya’s first team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament, having made it to the final hosted in the Dominican Republic last October.

Botes has likened facing Kenya to going to war, and she expects tough opposition in the second round. “We are looking forward to Kenya, and that is really our focus. We want to see which players will be able to compete against Kenya,” Botes said.

“Kenya will present a different challenge compared to Namibia. Facing Kenya is like going to war, and you can’t go to war with the same ammunition. We have to find the right players for that big task. Kenya is totally different in every aspect. They (Junior Starlets) played well at the World Cup against England, Mexico, and the winners, Korea DPR,” Botes added.

The Mildred Cheche-coached side will be itching for another World Cup return after making their debut last year. However, the Starlets could be without half of the team that featured at the World Cup.