After booking tickets to the August-September World Cup in Japan, Africa Nations Championship gold and silver medalists, Kenya and Algeria now turn their focus to the World Grand Prix in Mexico and Kazakhstan which start today.

Algeria women’s team are in Kazakhstan for the opening leg of pool N which also has Cuba, Australia and the host while their Kenyan counterparts, who won two matches against Mexico and Algeria in the last edition are in Mexico for the group O matches.

The newly crowned Africa champions have relatively easy matches in the first round having paired Mexico, Colombia and Peru and head coach David Lung’aho want to better his last performance where they won two and lost two matches.

Lunga’ho steered Kenya to her third straight Africa Nations title and a ninth in total in their 10 final appearances since 1991 following a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-20) win over Algeria in the final last weekend in Nairobi.

From Mexico, Africans giants will proceed to Algeria for the second leg where they must win at least two of their matches to move to the third round set for Australia and Algeria may take that advantage to avenge their continental loss to nine time Africa champions.

After the Grand Prix, the top two nations will turn their attentions to the All Africa Games due in September in Congo Brazzaville.

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