Harambee Stars players pose for pictures during a training session at Lycee Classique Cocody, in Abidjan on October 12, 2025.
Abidjan, the largest city in Cote d’Ivoire, is nicknamed “Babi”. It is a sobriquet that has inspired films, phrases, and songs expressing the love that residents of Abidjan have for their city.
One such phrase – which headlines conversations, films, and songs about the city – is Babi est doux, a French expression that translates to “Babi is sweet” in French.
Abidjan also gives its name to the national anthem of Cote d’Ivoire. The patriotic hymn is known as L’Abidjanaise, meaning the song of Abidjan, and it salutes Cote d’Ivoire as the land of hope, country of hospitality, and gallant legions that restore its dignity.
Yet, mingling with the elements and personas that vibrate the pulse of sweet Abidjan is a defiant Harambee Stars, a well-accommodated guest scheming to leave Ivorians in World Cup despair.
Cote d’Ivoire’s the Elephants hosts Harambee Stars in a must-win 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan today (Tuesday) from 10 pm (Kenyan time).
Victory will guarantee the Elephants qualification to next year’s World Cup which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
A draw or defeat against Harambee Stars will only get the Ivorians – who go into the final round of qualifiers leading Group ‘F’ with 23 points – over the line if Gabon fail to win at home to Burundi.
Gabon are second with 22 points. Harambee Stars follow in third place with 12 points, two more than The Gambia and Burundi who are tied on 10 points but separated by goal difference in fourth and fifth place respectively. Seychelles are bottom with zero points.
Harambee Stars landed in humid and sunny Abidjan on Saturday afternoon prodded by bold remarks made by the squad’s coach Benni McCarthy on Monday in Nairobi.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy holds a ball as he conducts a training session at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on October 6, 2025.
“Football is played on the pitch, not on paper. Cote d'Ivoire should not expect any favours from us. We are going for a win and if Cote d'Ivoire wants to qualify for the World Cup, they must earn it,” McCarthy, a former South African international, said.
“We aim to finish in a respectable position and build on a mindset and mentality of playing with the front foot. We do not plan to sit back because our intention is to win. We have a winning culture to maintain after back-to-back wins and clean sheets in our last two Fifa World Cup qualifiers,” McCarthy’s assistant, Vasilis Manousakis Manousakis said.
Harambee Stars thrashed Seychelles 5-0 in Nairobi last month before edging out Burundi 1-0 in Bujumbura on Thursday. It was the first time Kenya was winning away in a World Cup qualifying match against a country based in mainland Africa since defeating Burkina Faso 4-2 on August 16, 1997.
Harambee Stars winger Adam Wilson (left) tussles for the ball with Burundi’s Akbar Muredi in a Group 'F' 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Intwari Stadium in Bujumbura on October 9, 2025.
Kenya have scored 99 World Cup qualifier goals and can hit the 100 milestone today in Abidjan. Kenya have played 83 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
Kenya first qualifier match came 53 years ago with Daniel Anyazwa scoring their first ever goal in a 2-0 win over Sudan on July 6, 1972.
Ryan Ogam, the 21-year-old striker who scored Harambee Stars’ 99th World Cup qualifier goal in the win over Burundi last week, tallied his sixth strike in a six-match purple patch for the national team, and could be the man to get Kenya to that century milestone.
Speaking on Sunday evening in Abidjan, Ogam talked about the “pleasure” and “pressure” of wearing a jersey that “represents millions of Kenyans” and his wish to “inspire more young players to aspire for greatness now that I am playing alongside players who inspired me”.
“I want to keep doing my best and maintain the streak of scoring in each game for club and country,” said Ogam.
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.
But Stars have their work cut out for them against a team that has not conceded a single goal in this campaign.
“We know of the quality within the Cote d’Ivoire squad. They are unbeaten in these qualifiers. So, we know that the task is tough but we believe in ourselves,” Manousakis said.
Cote d’Ivoire, boasting a plethora of highly-regarded professionals are ranked 44th in the world compared to Kenya’s 111. The Elephants have registered seven wins and two draws in the qualifiers.
They are on course, together with Tunisia, to become the first teams since England in 1990 to qualify for the World Cup without conceding a goal.
The only other countries to have achieved this feat are Italy (1934 and 1974), Turkey (1950), Yugoslavia (1954), Uruguay (1970), and Chile (1982).
Interestingly, Harambee Stars are the only team in Group ‘F’ that Cote d’Ivoire is yet beat. The two countries drew 0-0 in Kenya’s home game played in Malawi in June.
If any encouragement to Kenya, they have never lost a football match in Abidjan. Kenya drew 3-3 with The Gambia and beat Seychelles 5-0 in qualifying matches staged in Abidjan in November.
Today, Kenyans will be hoping that Babi will be sweet to Harambee Stars again.
