NAIROBI, Kenya, February 14, 2026 – The Rising Starlets have been eliminated from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers after a painful penalty shootout defeat to the Tanzania U20 Women’s National Team, bringing their qualification campaign to an abrupt end.
Kenya went into the second leg holding a narrow 1–0 advantage from the first match, but Tanzania leveled the aggregate score in the 52nd minute after converting a penalty.
The match ended 1–0 in favour of the hosts, forcing the tie straight into penalties.
In the shootout, the Rising Starlets struggled from the spot, converting just one penalty while missing three.
Tanzania, meanwhile, scored three of their attempts and missed only once, sealing their progression and ending Kenya’s hopes of reaching the global tournament.
Despite the disappointing exit, the campaign showcased the promise of Kenya’s young talents, who had impressed throughout the qualifiers.
However, their World Cup dream now ends at this stage as Tanzania advance to the next round.
