Six Kenyan children earn life-changing chance to attend 2026 FIFA World Cup
Reading Time: 4min | Thu. 09.07.26. | 19:03
The only Kenyan organisation and one of only four from Africa invited to the week-long programme that will bring together about 400 young people from 40 countries through football, leadership development and cultural exchange
For generations, Harambee Stars have chased qualification to the FIFA World Cup without success.
Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news
While that wait continues, six young footballers from Kibera, Kangemi, Southlands, Mugumoini, and Viwandani will next week travel to Boston for Festival 26, FIFA's global youth festival running alongside the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The youngsters, aged between 13 and 16, were selected by CFK Africa, the only Kenyan organisation and one of only four from Africa invited to the week-long programme that will bring together about 400 young people from 40 countries through football, leadership development and cultural exchange.
For CFK Africa Programmes Manager Mediatrix Tuju, the opportunity represents years of investment in young people from underserved communities.
"Our mission is to empower youth in slums," Tuju told Mozzart Sport.
"We co-create solutions with the community so that they identify solutions to the barriers affecting them. That way, they own the initiatives and are able to sustain them even without us."
Formerly known as Carolina for Kibera, CFK Africa has spent the last 25 years expanding beyond Kibera into 25 informal settlements across eight counties, reaching nearly 200,000 people annually through education, health and sports programmes.
Football remains one of its biggest entry points.
However, Tuju insists that winning matches has never been the priority.
"Ours is not sports for sports," she explained. "It is value-based sports."
When the organisation received confirmation that it would send a delegation to Boston, interest far exceeded expectations.
More than 500 youngsters applied. Only six could be selected.
"We actually got 500 applications, and we only needed six," Tuju recalled.
"We were looking for leadership, confidence and passion for their communities so that whatever they learn in Boston, they are able to come back and share it."
According to Tuju, Festival 26 is designed to create opportunities beyond football.
"What we are creating is an opportunity beyond the football pitch," she added. "Talent is universal. Opportunity is not."
CFK Africa Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Okoro perhaps best understands that philosophy.
Long before becoming the organisation's CEO, Okoro first joined CFK through community football tournaments in 2003.
More than two decades later, he is preparing another generation for the opportunity that once changed his own life.
"My journey is proof of what happens when young people in places like Kibera are given access, trust and opportunity," Okoro told Mozzart Sport.
"Talent already exists in our communities. What is often missing are the pathways, platforms and support systems that allow that talent to grow."
.jpg)
The CEO believes the six children earned the opportunity long before they were selected.
"They are not going to Boston to become leaders," he said. "They are going because they already are leaders."
The delegation comprises Harriet Sandra Achieng, Erick Manchang, Nigel Mali Imani, Valary Ayuma, Faridah Mahmoud Kamene and Nehemiah Ongori Ayora.
For Harriet, the trip is an opportunity to return home with lessons that can benefit others.
"I will be a good ambassador, bringing teamwork, collaboration and change to my community," she said.
Erick is equally eager to bring back what he learns.
.jpg)
"I can't wait to see how Boston looks and use what I learn to help others," he said.
The trip also carries enormous significance for their families.
Valary Ayuma's father, Cedric Magani, revealed that his daughter will become the first member of the family to travel abroad.
"I expect that she will empower her classmates in school and show the girls who play in Rungiri that it is possible to dream and achieve bigger things," he said.
For Faridah Mahmoud's mother, Lilian Wavinya, football has always been about more than the game itself.
She believes it has helped keep her daughter focused while growing up in an environment where many young people face difficult choices.
"I have to know where she is at all times, either on the pitch or at home," she said.
Her concerns reflect a wider national challenge.
According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), the average age of first exposure to tobacco is six years, alcohol seven years, cannabis and prescription drugs eight years, and khat nine years, while most young people begin experimenting with substances between the ages of 16 and 20.
For organisations such as CFK Africa, structured sport has increasingly become a tool for steering children away from those risks while building confidence and leadership.
Kenya may still be waiting for its first FIFA World Cup appearance.
For one week in Boston, however, six children will represent the country on football's biggest stage, carrying the hopes of communities that have waited just as long for opportunities of their own.