It will bring together 15 teams competing for the prestigious title, with Kenya opening the floor just after the opening ceremony
The Malkia Strikers will be keen to start on the right foot in the quest to defend the title, which will also guarantee them a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Coach Geoffrey Omondi backs his team to succeed despite not having any prior knowledge of how their opponents set up.
“I have not watched any of the teams in our pool play, and that makes it difficult to talk about them or what to expect from them. But we just want to start with a win and plan from there.
When you play tough opponents in the group stage, in a way you can tell how prepared you are, but I guess we will cross the bridge when we get there. The draws have been friendly,” said Omondi.
On his part, Zambia assistant coach Martin Mwemba revealed that his team is targeting at least a semi-final slot in what is their debut in the championship.
“This is our first time participating in this competition. We didn’t expect to be pooled against the defending champions, Kenya, but here we are. We will give our all since we also qualified to be here on merit.
The players have their target, which is to reach the semifinal, and we are determined to do that. The sport is growing pretty fast in our country, and we will be regular participants in future events,” said Mwemba.
Save for Pool A, the continental event will feature four teams, playing in a round-robin format at the group stage.
𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐀
1. Zambia
2. BYE
3. Kenya
4. Mali
𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐁
1. Uganda
2. Egypt
3. Senegal
4. Burkina Faso
𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐂
1. Nigeria
2. Cameroon
3. Tunisia
4. Ghana
𝐏𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐃
1. Algeria
2. Congo RDC
3. Rwanda
4. Burundi
