Kenya emerged as the highest-ranked nation from the CECAFA region at the 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Patrick Nyale-coached side finished 26th globally among 189 participating countries.The Kenyan boys finished ahead of nine other nations from the region that featured in the inaugural competition, with South Sudan their closest CECAFA challengers at position 48.##NAJAVA_MECA_10077478##Uganda ranked 69th, followed by Rwanda in 80th place and Somalia at 100th. Burundi finished 104th, Tanzania 114th, Sudan 140th, Ethiopia 162nd and Djibouti 170th.The 26th-place finish capped an encouraging maiden appearance for Kenya, who recorded five wins, two draws and three defeats in their 10 matches under head coach Nyale.The team made an impressive start in Baku, going unbeaten in the group stage to finish top of Group Z and secure qualification for the Tier A classification phase.Aldrine Kibet back as Kimani names provisional U23 squad for Ivory CoastThey opened their campaign with a commanding 6-2 victory over Malta, with Dancan Muyah scoring a hat-trick while Innocent Media, Lewis Wafula and Silas Juma also got on the scoresheet.Kenya followed that result with a 5-1 win over Panama before edging Chad 3-2.They also drew 2-2 against Niger and North Macedonia to complete the group stage without defeat.Preview: Inside Kenya's contingent to Sunday's New York City MarathonHowever, the challenge became tougher in the Tier A classification matches, where they came up against stronger opposition.Poland handed the Kenyan side a 4-0 defeat before Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a 4-1 victory.South Korea then wrapped up Kenya's campaign with a 3-1 beating.##NAJAVA_MECA_10075923##Despite the difficult finish, Kenya ended the tournament 26th overall, having scored 27 goals in 10 matches.Captain Innocent Media was the standout performer in front of goal, scoring nine times to finish as the team's leading scorer.
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