Harambee Starlets step up WAFCON preps with Algeria friendly
By Joel Masibo, November 30, 2025Kenya’s Harambee Starlets are stepping up preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026) by facing North African side Algeria in their second friendly match on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
Head coach Beldine Odemba will lead her charges against Algeria at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida, starting at 5:00 pm local time. Before the Sunday match, Harambee Starlets were beaten 2-1 by the hosts on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at the same venue.
Speaking ahead of the second encounter against the same opponent, Beldine Odemba asserted that the technical bench picked the positives after her girls squandered their lead before conceding at the death to hand Algeria the win. Odemba added that the mood in the camp is also right heading into the match.
Picking the positives
”The mood is right; we are happy that we are facing the second match. We learnt a lot from the first match, including off-pitch and a lot of on-pitch. We have trained, and we have worked on what did not go well, hoping to give Kenyans a good game,” she said.
The tactician further revealed the reason behind choosing Algeria in preparing for WAFCON, which will be staged in Morocco next year. She also added that there is a possibility that more players will be added to the squad for the tournament amid the ongoing Football Kenya Federation Women’s Premier League.
”Of course, we are preparing for WAFCON, and we chose to play against Algeria because they also qualified. So we are getting a test of what to expect during the tournament, and so far, so good. We just hope that we keep on improving to do well during the tournament.”
“As a technical bench, we are really working hard to ensure that we have a strong depth. We really hope that we will get enough time to add more to the squad from the players that are doing well in the league back home,” Odemba said.
Message to the fans
To the fans back in Kenya, Beldine Odemba said, ”We thank our fans, who have been behind us. We hope that they will continue to support and keep us on our toes as they always do. We always want to give them the best.”
The 2026 WAFCON showpiece will be the 16th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international football championship organised by the Confederation of African Football for the women’s national teams of Africa.
The tournament will be played in Morocco for the third consecutive time. The tournament will run from March 17 to April 3, 2025, in the North African country.