Namibia’s Under-17 women’s national football team, the Baby Gladiators, has been drawn against Kenya in the qualifiers for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The draw was held on Saturday in Rabat, Morocco. Namibia is set to begin its qualifying campaign at home between 10 and 12 April, before traveling to Kenya for the return leg scheduled for 17 to 19 April.
The winner on aggregate between Namibia and Kenya will advance to the second round, where they will face either Uganda or Zimbabwe. The first leg third round match is scheduled for 3 to 5 July, with the return fixture set for 10 to 12 July. Former Baby Gladiators coach Errol Damaseb, who previously guided the team at the Cosafa competition, said coaching appointments have not yet been finalised and that he is uncertain whether he will be at the helm for the upcoming qualifiers.
The Baby Gladiators are coming off a challenging but eventful 2025 season. At the COSAFA U/17 Girls’ Championship hosted in Windhoek in May, Namibia opened their campaign with a 3-0 loss to Malawi in the group stage. Despite improved performances in subsequent matches, the team struggled to maintain consistency and failed to make a significant impact overall.
However, the tournament also produced a historic moment for the Baby Gladiators, who recorded a resounding 10-0 victory over Comoros, their biggest win in the competition and one of their best performances to date. Nancy Lebang was the standout performer, netting an impressive seven goals in that encounter. Earlier in January 2025, Namibia competed in the African qualifiers for the FIFA U/17 Women’s World Cup, where they faced Uganda over two legs.
The Baby Gladiators were eliminated after losing both matches, 10-0 in the first leg and 8-1 in the return fixture, and that marked their exit from the qualifiers.
