Kenya will begin their U17 World Cup campaign with a match against England on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 2:00 AM.

The Junior Starlets are making their debut on the global stage after an excellent qualification campaign and equally convincing performances in three friendly matches.

Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia are the nations that will represent Africa in the Dominican Republic in a tournament that will begin on October 16, 2024. Kenya will attract match limelight as fans, especially from East Africa, are keen to see how they will fare as they make their debut appearance.

Among the three African nations, Nigeria are the most experienced side in this tournament, as they have appeared in six of the seven showpieces. In 2022 in India, they finished third, and expectations are high on them as continental fans hope they will make them proud.

Zambia have some experience at the global competition as they were part of the 2014 U-17 Women’s World Cup. They also competed in the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games and also in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Qualification campaign

To reach this stage, Nigeria’s Flamingos saw off Liberia on a 6-1 aggregate; they managed a 4-1 victory in the first leg before a 2-0 in Abuja.

Zambia, on the other hand, defeated Morocco 3-1 on aggregate. Kenya’s junior Starlets beat Burundi 5-0 on aggregate to qualify for the finals.

Match schedules

Nigeria (Group A)

Nigeria vs New Zealand: October 16, 2024, 16:00 AST

Nigeria vs Ecuador: October 20, 2024, 16:00 AST

Nigeria vs Dominican Republic October 23, 2024, 16:00 AST

Kenya (Group C)

Kenya vs North Korea: October 18, 2024, 2:00 AM

Kenya vs Mexico: October 20, 2024, 11:00 PM

Kenya vs England: October 24, 2024, 02:00 AM

Zambia (Group D)

Zambia vs Japan: October 17, 2024, 19:00 AST

Zambia vs Poland: October 20, 2024, 16:00 AST

Zambia vs Brazil: October 23, 2024, 19:00 AST