After over one year and six months of anxious waiting Kenyan football fans will get a chance to watch Harambee Stars in the flesh at home when they welcome Gabon in a key Group “F” 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Nyayo National Stadium today.
The match kicks off at 4 pm with reports indicating that tickets had sold out yesterday.
In fact, this will be the first time in three years and three months that Harambee Stars will be playing at Nyayo, a fortress in their history.
Harambee Stars last played at home on September 12, 2023, when they lost 1-0 to South Sudan in a friendly match at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani.
But the last time Kenya played an international game at Nyayo was on November 15, 2021, when they defeated Rwanda 2-1 in a Group “E” 2022 World Cup qualifier.
Since then, Kenya have been hosting their home matches in foreign countries due to the lack of a Fifa approved facility.
Confederation of African Football will also be using today’s fixture to test the facility ahead of the delayed 2024 Africa Nations Championship now scheduled for August that will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
With most Kenyans yearning to watch Harambee Stars playing on home soil after such a long time and given the team’s spirited fight to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw against Gambia in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, all roads are expected to lead to Nyayo today.
Ticketing, which was done exclusively online, opened on Tuesday and closed yesterday. A total of 22, 900 tickets were available, with regular (21,000) retailing at Sh300, VIP (1,800) Sh1,000 and VVIP (100) Sh10,000.
Harambee Stars under South African football legend Benni McCarthy desperately needs a win today to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
After five matches, Cote d’Ivoire top the group with 13 points, one more than Gabon while Burundi are ranked third with seven points. Kenya are placed fourth with six points while Gambia and Seychelles follow in that order with four and zero points respectively.
In their head-to-head count, the two have traded two wins each with one draw.
Gabon defeated Kenya 2-1 in their first 2026 qualifier meeting on November 16, 2023.
Reckoning that Kenya still stands a chance to qualify for the World Cup, McCarthy is hoping that Stars will build on their hard-fought draw against Gambia.
At Stade Alassane Ouattara, McCarthy’s changes in the second half proved decisive as substitutes Jonah Ayunga, Mohammed Bajaber, and William Lenkupae came to Kenya’s rescue.
Scotland-based Ayunga won a penalty after being fouled in the box, allowing captain Michael Olunga to score from the spot while Kenya Police’s attacking midfielder Bajaber levelled the score 2-2 with a stunning strike from the edge of the box.
Australia--based Lenkupae secured a dramatic 3-3 draw in the six minutes of added time from close range.
Anticipating a tough match against Gabon, McCarthy has hinted at tinkering with the squad that started against Gambia.
“We do not want to give Gabon the upper hand by playing players who may be tired. We might have to change the team slightly so that we can have the energy and give fans a good spectacle but also we want to go for the win,” said McCarthy after the team touchdown at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday.
In starting with experienced Brian Mandela, Eric Johana, Ismael Gonzalez, Anthony Akumu and Olunga,.
McCarthy said he wanted to “stabilise the team and get an organisation that could keep us in the game” before making changes.
He praised Bajaber’s performance against Gambia and hoped that he would replicate it against Gabon. “Hopefully on Sunday (today) he saves one or two more for us and this time for a win, not a draw,” said McCarthy.
“It is quite important to play for the first time at home in four years. I believe everybody wants to come and see what the national team looks like after quite a while and the new team being assembled by coach Benni. We promise to give a good account of ourselves,” said the Al-Duhail striker.
Gabon, coached by Thierry Mouyouma, head into the match on the back of an emphatic 3-0 win over minnows Seychelles on Thursday.
Gabon’s all-time top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to lead the attack. He missed the match against Seychelles due to suspension.
