- Kenya’s Harambee Starlets finished second in the FIFA Women’s Series after losing 2-0 to Australia on April 15
- The result follows a 2-0 win over India in their first game last week at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
- We look at how much the team earned despite the absence of official prize money from FIFA for the first edition
Harambee Starlets battled valiantly but lost 2-0 to Australia in the final of the FIFA Women’s Series on Wednesday evening.
Source: Twitter
Goals from Sam Kerr and Clare Wheeler either side of the first half gave the Matildas victory at the National Stadium.
Australia were favorites to win the series, thanks to their star-studded squad and position in the latest FIFA rankings. They beat Malawi 5-0 in the semi-finals while Kenya beat India 2-0 to set up Wednesday’s final.
Beldine Odemba’s side had a tough time of quality but struggled to hurt their opponents. The Australians did not get out of second gear and had luck to go forward after Lillian Awuor failed to hold on to what appeared to be a low effort from Kerr.
However, it was a good performance from Harambee Starlets heading into WAFCON, who have climbed to 128th place from 134th in the FIFA rankings.
FIFA Series prize money
The new tournament launched by FIFA in 2024 has no prize money allocated.
The tournament was established by FIFA to ensure that teams have meaningful international friendlies against teams from different confederations that would not normally compete.
Although there is no prize money, FIFA provides facilities to organize the matches.
How much will Harambee Starlets earn in FIFA Series?
However, Harambee Starlets still received a sum of money as a gift from the Ministry of Sports.
Cabinet Minister Salim Mvurya he made a promise, which he has since handed over to the team, of KSh 1 million after the win over India in the final. FKF added another KSh 500,000.
There was no mention of whether there would be more gifts from the ministry after the game against Australia.
Source: Twitter
President William Rutowho has been on a tour of Gusii region, also kept quiet about any financial gain for the team but commended the team for its performance.
“Congratulations, Harambee Starlets, for finishing second in the FIFA Women’s Series Championship. This achievement signifies greater promise ahead. Build on the lessons learned and experience gained, and continue to prepare with focus and determination for the challenges ahead. I have no doubt that you will rise higher. Congratulations Starlets,” he said on his social media accounts.
Why Australia chose to play Kenya
Australia explained why they chose to play Kenya despite head coach Joe Montemurro asking the top-ranked teams to prepare for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil.
Apart from the Harambee Starlets, the other teams in the group are Malawi (153rd) and India (67th), showing a huge gap in quality between the Matildas and their opponents.
With European and South American teams playing their World Cup qualifiers, Australia’s options for this international window were limited.
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