Harambee Stars’ 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign ended with a 3-0 loss to World Cup-bound Cote d’Ivoire on Tuesday night in Abidjan, the city where the draw for the qualifiers was held on July 13, 2023.
Harambee Stars were pooled in Group ‘F’ with reigning Afcon champions Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi, Gabon, The Gambia, and Seychelles.
The first round of qualifiers – a group stage round that for the first time ever comprised all the 54 members of CAF, except Eritrea – started on November 15, 2023. The northeast African country on the Red Sea coast, Eritrea, withdrew from qualification before playing any matches over concerns that players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel abroad.
That stage ended 700 days later, on October 14, with Stars left looking into the future yet again after finishing fourth in Group ‘F’ with 12 points from 10 matches.
“We have a young team. We are learning. In two years’ time, we will be ready and at a better level to compete with teams such as Cote d’Ivoire,” Harambee Stars’ South African coach Benni McCarthy said after the loss to the West Africans, whom the former Bafana Bafana striker congratulated for qualifying to their fourth World Cup with a squad of “top quality international footballers”.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy holds a ball as he conducts a training session at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on October 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Next year’s World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Perhaps the story would have been different for Harambee Stars had they made home advantage count. Harambee Stars collected only five points from their five home matches, of which two – against Burundi (1-1) and Cote d’Ivoire (0-0) – were stalemates played in Malawi because Kenya lacked CAF-approved venues.
When Kasarani and Nyayo got the green light from CAF to host matches, home comforts only yielded a 5-0 win against minnows Seychelles, with Gabon (2-1) and The Gambia (3-1) triumphing in Nairobi.
On the road, Stars picked up seven points after registering wins against Burundi (1-0) and Seychelles (5-0), drawing against The Gambia (3-3), and suffering losses to Cote d’Ivoire (3-0) and Gabon (2-1).
Reflecting on Harambee Stars’ journey on Monday last week in Nairobi, captain Michael Olunga emphasised the importance of winning home matches, the country having top-notch sports facilities, and having a strong start.
Yet, Harambee Stars almost enjoyed a strong start to their campaign but dropped points from winning positions away to Gabon in their first match and at home to Burundi in their third match, results that sandwiched their 5-0 away victory to Seychelles.
In the fourth match, the last 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier, Harambee Stars played under the Turkish Engin Firat. The Stars squandered glorious chances as Cote d’Ivoire held them to a 0-0 draw in Lilongwe, Malawi. Later, Harambee Stars collected seven points from a possible 18 under McCarthy who took over in March this year.
Still, Olunga’s blueprint for a successful World Cup qualifying was effectively implemented by Group ‘F’ winners Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, debutants Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy juggles the ball as he conducts a training session at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on October 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Egypt (Group ‘A’), Senegal (Group ‘B’), Morocco (Group ‘E’), Cote d’Ivoire, and Tunisia (Group ‘H’) qualified with unbeaten records. Morocco, who on September 5, became the first African country to book their place in the 23rd edition of the Fifa World Cup, were remarkably superior. The Atlas Lions finished their campaign with a 100 per cent record.
Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia qualified without conceding a goal, a feat that only seven teams – Italy (1934 and 1974), Turkey (1950), Yugoslavia (1954), Uruguay (1970), Chile (1982), and England (1990) – had previously achieved before.
A clerical error almost cost South Africa their place. Bafana Bafana had three points and two points deducted for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho, who were awarded a 3-0 win.
That added to the drama in Group ‘C’, handing lifelines to Benin and Nigeria, who closed the gap on the runaway South Africans as a result. Yet, the setback was only temporary and when it mattered most, Bafana Bafana beat Rwanda 3-0 on the last day to qualify for their fourth World Cup appearance.
Perhaps the story of the qualifiers is that of Cape Verde, who after Iceland (in 2018), became the second smallest country, in terms of population, to qualify for the Fifa World Cup after past perennial qualifiers Cameroon, Angola, eSwatini, Libya, and Mauritius in Group D. The Blue Sharks, so far, will be one of three nations that will make their World Cup debut in 2026. The other two countries are Jordan and Uzbekistan.
The expansion of the Fifa World Cup to 48 teams meant Africa earned nine slots in next year’s competition. That number could increase to 10 if one of the quartet of Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria go all the way in the continental and inter-continental play-offs. The four teams earned their place in the continental play-offs after ranking among the four best group runners-up.
The continental play-offs for the CAF region will be contested in November in Morocco. The inter-continental play-offs – which will feature one each from AFC, CAF, Conmebol, and OFC and two from Concacaf – will take place in Mexico in March 2026. The winner of those play-offs will qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
