'With set structures, Kenya's 2026 World Cup dream is achievable' - Amimo

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) youth committee chairman Chris Amimo believes the establishment of the U13 and U15 leagues was a good decision if Kenya is to achieve her dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup.

The competition will have 48 teams, an increase of 16 teams, with Africa set to produce nine teams to battle for the trophy.

The administrator is confident the East Africa nation will have a chance to be part of the tournament to be hosted in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"This is the way to go if we want to play in the 2026 World Cup," Amimo told reporters.

 "Previously we didn’t have a way of identifying good players until it was too late. But the U13 and U15 leagues give an opportunity to do that.

"The advantage of it is that once we identify a player at that age, they cannot change as they are captured in our systems."

The chairman has also revealed the talents are collected from all over the country and there is a partnership with schools as well to approach players who can join their peers to ensure there is sufficient talent.

"It is a pilot project which we came up with after picking the players from different regions in the country," Amimo added.

"We currently have 30 players but we know this is not enough. We have also established a working relationship with schools who are encouraged to do the same and we set up standards for them."

Stanley Okumbi, who is coaching the U16 national team, believes the already set structures will help develop Kenya football.

"We tend to focus a lot on the senior national teams and even Premier Leagues but the future is with the youth," the former Harambee Stars coach told reporters.

"It is only through the youth structures that we can begin to build our football. This is the future. If we stay on this road, we will see some good progress in the coming years."

Kenya has never qualified for the World Cup since its inception in 1930.