Kenya U23

At the 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup in Ethiopia, Kenya's under-23 side lost the third-place playoff to South Sudan 1-0.

The name attaches to a shifting group rather than a settled club. The Football Kenya Federation assembles the under-23 squad for particular tournaments — the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, qualifiers, the CAF U-23 Cup of Nations — and stands it down between them. The earliest side to carry the label was put together for the 2011 All Africa Games.

Kenya wear red at home, white away and green when the fixture is at a neutral venue, and play their home matches under the federation's own crest rather than a badge made for the age group. Richard Odada captained the side through the 2023 COSAFA Cup and has since moved up to start regularly for the senior national team. Henry Meja came through the same COSAFA campaign and went on to play in Sweden, for AIK.

What the Emerging Stars have not done is win anything. The CECAFA title has eluded them, as has the CAF U-23 Cup of Nations.