Kenya’s Harambee Starlets have been mathematically eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) group stage following a heartbreaking 1–0 defeat to Senegal at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Seynabou Mbengue’s 35th-minute strike proved decisive for the Lionesses of Teranga, condemning Beldine Odemba’s side to back-to-back defeats in Group A and extinguishing their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals with one group match remaining.
Kenya dominated large spells of the first half, creating clear-cut openings early on. Lorna Nyabuto and team captain Mwanahalima Adam both squandered glorious chances inside the opening twenty minutes to put the Starlets ahead.
The defining moment came against the run of play in the 35th minute when a quick Senegalese counterattack caught the Kenyan defense out of position. Awa Casset unlocked the backline before setting up FC Metz forward Seynabou Mbengue, who calmly finished past the keeper. The goal stood following a two-minute VAR check for potential offside.
“We would have done better if we had defended well and converted the chances we created. The goal they scored came from our mistake. From these two matches, we have identified areas we need to improve, especially in defense and converting our chances. Mentally, the players responded well, and there was a big improvement from the first match, but I am disappointed we couldn’t score today.” – Beldine Odemba
Having opened their campaign with a 4–0 loss to host nation Morocco, Kenya remain at the bottom of Group A with 0 points from two matches. Because head-to-head records serve as the primary tiebreaker, Kenya cannot finish ahead of either Senegal or Morocco regardless of final-day results.
The Harambee Starlets will close out their tournament against Algeria on Monday, playing for pride and aiming to secure their first point and goal of WAFCON 2026.
