Kenya’s junior women’s national team have secured a place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 after producing a commanding 4-0 victory over Samoa to advance as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.

The young Kenyan side demonstrated resilience and determination, recovering from consecutive defeats against China PR and the United States of America to deliver a decisive performance in their final Group E encounter.

Kenya had opened their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to China before suffering a 6-1 loss to the USA, leaving their qualification hopes hanging in the balance heading into the final round of group matches.

However, the Kenyan girls responded in emphatic fashion against Samoa, scoring four goals to secure the victory they needed to remain in contention for a place in the knockout stages.

Brenda Awuor opened the scoring in the 44th minute to give Kenya a crucial advantage heading into the break. Gaudancia Maloba doubled the lead in the 62nd minute before Mwanakombo Bakari added a third in the 64th minute.

Bakari struck again in stoppage time to complete her brace and seal an impressive 4-0 victory, sparking celebrations as Kenya's qualification hopes turned into reality.

The result proved decisive, allowing Kenya to join Venezuela among the teams advancing to the Round of 16 through the best third-placed teams ranking.

Spain shine as Mexico and Venezuela advance

Elsewhere, Mexico and Venezuela also secured their places in the knockout stages following dramatic results in Group D.

Spain continued their impressive campaign with a third consecutive victory, inspired by Bruna Quintana, who scored twice and provided an assist in a commanding performance.

Citlalli Reyes proved decisive for Mexico, scoring the winning goal in a result that eliminated Australia from the competition and helped determine the final qualification picture among the best third-placed teams.

Venezuela subsequently secured their progression despite finishing third in their group, joining Kenya in advancing through the same qualification route.

In another dramatic encounter, China PR edged out the United States in a thrilling contest to finish top of Group E, underlining their strength in a group that also featured Kenya and Samoa.