Kenya's Harambee Starlets suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat to hosts and tournament favourites Morocco in their opening Group A match of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) at Prince Hassan Moulay Stadium in Rabat on Sunday, dealing a major blow to their hopes of securing qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Atlas Lionesses dominated the contest, with Sakina Ouzraoui opening the scoring in the 19th minute after capitalizing on a Kenyan midfield error. Maryame Atiq doubled Morocco's lead in the 28th minute before Ibtissam Jraidi struck twice, heading home in the 31st minute and adding her second just two minutes into the second half.
Despite the heavy defeat, Starlets coach Beldine Odemba remained upbeat, insisting Kenya, which is back at WAFCON after 10 years, still has a chance to progress.
"We have never played Senegal before, so it will require a different approach. We still stand a chance. We know Algeria well after playing them previously, so we are taking one match at a time," she explained.
Youngster Valerie Nekesa, who made her first start, noted that Kenya must learn from the loss.
"We had chances in the first half, but we need to rectify the mistakes we made against Morocco. Being handed my first start was a great opportunity and I believe I made the most of it," she said.
Captain Mwanalima Adam urged the team to improve their finishing and cut out costly defensive lapses.
"The Morocco match is behind us. We have learnt from it and will correct the mistakes before facing Senegal. Morocco punished our errors, but our focus is now on getting a positive result in the next match," she said.
Kenya showed early promise when Tereza Engesha's long-range effort rattled the crossbar, while goalkeeper Lilian Awuor made several impressive saves to keep the score respectable despite Morocco's dominance.
Odemba introduced Mercy Airo, Euphrasia Shilwatso and Shalyne Opisa at the start of the second half, but Morocco quickly extended their advantage through Jraidi.
In the other Group A match, Algeria trounced Senegal 2-0. Kenya now faces Senegal in a must-win encounter on July 30 before concluding its group campaign against Algeria on August 3.
