Kenya's Harambee Starlets made a spectacular start to their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualification campaign after demolishing Seychelles 11-0 at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on Thursday to record the second-biggest victory in the history of the Kenyan women’s national team.
The huge win came under interim head coach Geoffrey Oduor, who marked the beginning of his tenure with a commanding performance as Starlets destroyed their opponents in the first leg of the second round of the African Olympic qualifiers.
Only one result in Starlets’ history surpasses Thursday’s margin of victory. Kenya’s biggest win remains the 12-0 demolition of Djibouti on November 19, 2019.
Valarie Nekesa, Airin Madalina, Enez Mango, Mercy Airo and Elizabeth Mideva each scored a brace, while Martha Amunyolet also found the net as Kenya completed the 11-0 win.
Starlets were dominant from the opening whistle, combining intensity with clinical finishing to overwhelm Seychelles and put themselves in a commanding position ahead of the second leg.
The victory also offered a much-needed boost for Kenya following their disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco, where they exited the group stage without a point or a goal after losses to Morocco, Algeria and Senegal.
For Oduor, the result provided an ideal start to his stint after replacing Beldine Odemba.
“Now we are looking at the second match, which will be on Monday, and winning it will be very important because we have goals to play in the next round as well,” said Oduor in post-match interview.
Kenya will meet Seychelles again in the second leg at Ulinzi Sports Complex on October 12, with the aggregate winners advancing to the third round of qualification, scheduled for February and March 2027.
Seychelles were officially designated as the hosts for the first leg despite the match being played in Nairobi after their national stadium, Stad Linite, was deemed unsuitable for international fixtures for failing to meet FIFA and CAF standards.
The two nations were meeting for the first time, with Kenya entering the contest with a significantly stronger international record.
Seychelles had won only one of their previous 18 matches, drawing twice and losing 15 times. Their sole victory came in 2022, when they humbled the Maldives 4-0 in a friendly. During that period, they had scored just 12 goals while conceding 135.
The islanders had also entered the qualifier on a nine-match losing streak, during which they conceded 77 goals and scored only twice.
Kenya, meanwhile, returned to Olympic qualification after missing the 2024 campaign.
Starlets have previously attempted to qualify for the women’s Olympic football tournament on three occasions. Their first attempt came in 2004, when they received a walkover against Uganda before conceding a walkover to Nigeria in the second round.
Kenya returned to the qualifiers for the 2016 Games, eliminating Botswana on the away-goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate draw before South Africa tossed them out with a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Their strongest Olympic qualification run came ahead of the 2020 Games, when Kenya saw off Malawi 5-3 on aggregate in the second round and squeezed 1-0 past Ghana in the third round before Zambia won 3-2 in the final round.
Kenya are now making their fourth attempt to reach the Olympic women’s football tournament, with two African nations ultimately set to qualify for the 2028 Games.
After Thursday’s record-breaking display, Starlets will head into Monday’s return leg with a huge advantage and renewed confidence as they continue their pursuit of a historic Olympic appearance.
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