'We Have to Give Everything' - Junior Stars Gear Up for Must-Win Clash Against Ethiopia for U-17 AFCON Spot
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Kenya Under-17 national team coach William Muluya has explained that Junior Stars need to give their all in the playoff match on Tuesday, December 2, as they seek to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Junior Stars have had an eventful journey in the recent CECAFA U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Junior Stars were drawn in Group A and commenced their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Somalia on November 18, 2025. They then secured their first victory, coming from behind to beat Rwanda 2-1 on November 21, showing great character.
They convincingly edged out South Sudan 2-0 on November 24. Their only defeat in the group stage came in a tight match against the hosts, Ethiopia, losing 1-0, but their performance was enough to see them finish second in Group A with seven points, securing a spot in the semi-finals.
In the crucial semi-final on November 30, Junior Stars faced regional rivals Tanzania. They eventually succumbed to a 3-1 defeat.
Under-17 AFCON: Junior Stars to Face Ethiopia for Third Slot
This semi-final loss meant Junior Stars missed the chance to be one of the top two finalists who automatically qualified for the 2026 U-17 AFCON in Morocco.
However, they earned a lifeline by progressing to the third-place playoff against Ethiopia, where a victory would still secure the CECAFA zone's final ticket to the continental championship.
“I think we missed it when we failed to go to the ball in the first quarter, and I mean in pressing. Truth be said, Tanzania is a good side, and I think they are players who seem to have played together for some time,” William Muluya said after the match.
“But again, where we missed, we had an opportunity to score first, but we squandered a penalty. We failed to defend a set piece.
“In the second half, we tried coming up a bit strong towards the end of the game, but it happens; sometimes you can concede five chasing for a goal.”
William Muluya pointed out that coming off a loss against Tanzania, they will have to re-evaluate what went wrong before facing another strong rival, Ethiopia, who lost 3-0 to Uganda.
He added that having missed the direct chance, the team now had to pour everything into securing the third-place opportunity.
“We are just fresh from losing the game, and we need to do a recap and try to correct where we need to correct, but basically it’s a final chance and 90-minute thing that we have to try. Having lost the direct chance, we have to give everything in the third-place chance,” he revealed.
William Muluya concluded by noting that despite the setback in the semi-finals, Junior Stars must regroup, address their mistakes, and give their all in the third-place playoff against Ethiopia to secure qualification for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
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