Harambee Starlets have made a historic leap in the latest FIFA Women’s Rankings by climbing seven places to 142nd.
The rise has been attributed to the Starlets’ outing against Tunisia in February’s 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations Qualifiers. The Beldine Odemba’s side held the North Africa side to a 0-0 draw at home before securing a 1-0 away victory in the reverse leg; the first time a Kenyan football team had won a competitive match away to North African opposition.
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The results against Tunisia earned Starlets 41.31 additional points, increasing their tally from 1,020 to 1,061.31 with the surge making them the biggest climbers globally. In contrast, Tunisia suffered the biggest drop, falling 11 places while losing 43.79 points.
The climb means that Starlets are now ranked 24th in the CAF region, having been 30th in the last rankings. The climb has also seen a rise in their position in the CECAFA region where they are now placed third after overtaking Uganda (148th). Ethiopia (128th) and Tanzania (138th) remain the only CECAFA teams ranked higher than Kenya.
Other CECAFA women’s teams are ranked as follows: Rwanda 165 (up from 168), Burundi 178 (unchanged), South Sudan 193 (unchanged), Djibouti 195 (unchanged). The women’s teams of Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan remain unranked.
On the continent, Nigeria (36) remains the top team followed by South Africa (54), Morocco (60), Zambia (64) and Ghana (65).
The next FIFA women’s rankings will be released on June 12, 2025, with Starlets having an opportunity to climb even higher as they have two friendly games against the Ivory Coast, who are currently ranked 71st globally, this month.
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