Junior Stars Crash Out of U17 AFCON Qualifiers After 2-0 Somalia Defeat

Kigali, Rwanda | October 14, 2026

Kenya’s Junior Stars have been eliminated from the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Under-17 qualifying campaign after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Somalia in their final Group C match at Kigali Pele Stadium on Wednesday.

The result confirmed Kenya’s early exit after William Muluya’s side had also lost 2-0 to Tanzania in their opening group fixture on October 10.

Kenya entered the encounter knowing that only victory would keep their qualification hopes alive, but the Junior Stars struggled to convert their opportunities as Somalia secured a crucial win.

Mohamud Osman opened the scoring in the 41st minute, giving Somalia a 1-0 lead going into the halftime break.

The Junior Stars pushed for an equaliser after the restart but were unable to find the breakthrough they needed. Somalia remained composed as Kenya searched for a way back into the contest.

Abdullahi Hashi doubled Somalia’s advantage in the 85th minute to put the result beyond Kenya’s reach and effectively end any hopes of a late comeback.

The defeat leaves Kenya without a point from their two Group C matches and without a goal scored. The Junior Stars conceded four goals across the two games, following the 2-0 loss to Tanzania in their opening match.

That opening defeat had already left Kenya needing victory against Somalia to remain in contention for the knockout stage. The loss to Somalia instead brought the Junior Stars’ campaign to an early end.

The elimination is a disappointing outcome for Muluya and his young squad, who had hoped to progress beyond the regional qualifiers and challenge for a place at the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Kenya had reached the semi-finals of the previous CECAFA U17 qualifiers but leave this year’s competition without a victory from their two matches.

The campaign will now provide the technical bench with an opportunity to assess the team’s performance and identify areas for improvement, particularly in attack after Kenya failed to score in either of its matches.

For the Junior Stars, attention will now turn to developing the squad and preparing the young players for future international assignments after their hopes of reaching the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations came to an end in Kigali.