Harambee Stars held their first training session in Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday evening ahead their final 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying match against the Elephants.
The two nations will clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, in Abidjan in their last Group ‘F’ match, kick off 10pm (Kenyan time).
The squad will have their second training session at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Monday before they conclude their 2026 qualification campaign.
Harambee Stars will be aiming to spoil the party for the Ivorians who must win to guarantee qualification to next year’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA.
Cote d’Ivoire, who are yet to concede a goal in their qualifying campaign, lead the group on 23 points, one more than second-placed Gabon who host Burundi in Franceville tomorrow. The Ivorians just need to match any result by the Gabonese.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy has already publicly declared that Harambee Stars will not do Cote d’Ivoire any favours making for an intriguing encounter.
Harambee Stars are third in the group with 12 points, two more than The Gambia and Burundi, who are tied on 10 points apiece but separated by goal difference, in fourth and fifth place respectively. Seychelles are bottom of the table with zero points.
Harambee Stars striker Ryan Ogam (right) celebrates after scoring against Burundi in a Group 'F' 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Intwari Stadium in Bujumbura on October 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Courtesy of FKF
Kenya’s delegation arrived in Abidjan on Saturday evening and proceeded to their hotel in the Akouedo area of Abidjan, situated 30 kilometres from the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Nairobi NEC Member Dan Shikanda, who travelled with the team said they were in excellent spirits.
"They did their recovery on Sunday morning which involved two hours of stretching and a session in the pool to cool down," said Shikanda, a former international.
Shikanda also said the squad was not affected by pre-election protests that rocked Abidjan’s Cocody area.
According to a report by world news agency, AP, Ivorian police arrested 237 protesters in Saturday’s disturbances. Cocody is four kilometres from where the Harambee Stars’ hotel is located.
Harambee Stars also carried out their first training at Lycée Classique Cocody that is located in the affected area, Shikanda said.
Athanas Oballa, the FKF Head of Special Projects and National Teams, told Nation Sport on phone that they were liaising with the Kenyan Embassy in Abidjan to ensure the squad’s safety. "We are aware of the protests and we have taken necessary precautionary measures with the help of the Kenyan Embassy. Our area of Abidjan is calm though," Oballa said.
Oballa also said that the team had lunch with Kenya’s ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Christopher Langat.
