OPPONENT WATCH: Queen Scorpions Eye History Ahead of WAFCON Qualifiers Against Harambee Starlets

The Gambia women’s national football team, popularly known as the Queen Scorpions, are expected to land in Nairobi next week ahead of their crucial 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final qualifying round clash against Kenya’s Harambee Starlets on Friday. The West Africans will be hoping to replicate what their men’s team, the Scorpions, did to the Harambee Stars during their recent encounter.

On paper, their biggest threat is Sevilla FC forward Fatoumata Kanteh, a dynamic attacker with experience in Spain’s top division. Kanteh previously featured for Villarreal CF, Sporting Club de Huelva, and EDF Logroño — the same club that once hosted Harambee Starlets playmaker Cynthia Shilwatso Musungu. Known for her pace, strength, and football intelligence, Kanteh has often proven decisive for Sevilla, including a memorable moment in April when she outpaced the FC Barcelona Femení defence to score.

According to Gambian journalist Amadou Tamba, the Queen Scorpions will field only four professional players due to financial constraints: Penda Bah (Viimsi JK, Estonia), Manyima Stevelmans (captain, Riga FC, Latvia), Ola Buwaro (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), and Fatoumata Kanteh (Sevilla FC, Spain). The rest of the squad is composed of locally based players who have been in camp since early August, training intermittently while preparing for what could be a historic qualification.

The Gambian side is led by Coach Mariama Bom Sowe, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday this week. A former Gambian international, Bom Sowe holds a CAF B License and has steadily risen through the coaching ranks. She served as assistant coach to Buba Jallow when The Gambia’s U-17 Women’s National Team — the Scorpion Girls — qualified for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan, marking a major milestone for Gambian women’s football.

In 2023, Bom Sowe guided the Queen Scorpions to their first-ever bronze medal at the WAFU-A Senior Women’s Championship, a performance that underscored her tactical maturity and leadership. Earlier this year, in January, she was appointed interim head coach of the senior women’s national team.

The Queen Scorpions are currently ranked 124th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, while Kenya sits at 140th, setting the stage for what promises to be a closely contested tie between two ambitious sides.

The return leg of the WAFCON qualifier is scheduled for Tuesday, 28 October 2025, in Thiès, Senegal. With a mix of experienced professionals and determined home-based talents, the Queen Scorpions are eager to defy the odds and secure qualification for their first-ever appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations — a dream that would etch their names in Gambian football history.