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Nairobi United fight to stay alive in Caf tourney
Nairobi United players during a training session at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on January 24, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Debutante Nairobi battled to qualify for the Confederation Cup group stage, a rarity for Kenyan clubs.
- The group stage, though, has been a baptism of fire for United, aka “Naibois,” with two straight losses.
At the start of the season, Kenya was represented at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) interclub competitions by Kenya Police FC and Nairobi United.
Police qualified for the CAF Champions League by virtue of winning the 2024/25 Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL), while Nairobi secured a slot in the Confederation Cup after clinching the FKF MozzartBet Cup.
Newcomers in Africa, Police were dispatched in the second preliminary round 4-1 on aggregate by Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman.
On the other hand, debutante Nairobi battled to qualify for the Confederation Cup group stage, a rarity for Kenyan clubs.
The group stage, though, has been a baptism of fire for United, aka “Naibois,” with two straight losses.
Drawn in Group “B”, the Kenyan side fell 3-0 to Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, and 1-0 to Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo in November.
Nairobi United are now at risk of falling out of the running for a quarter-final berth.
They must thus win against Tanzania’s Azam on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of staying in the hunt for a last-eight spot. The match will be staged at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi from 4pm.
Nairobi United head coach Salim Ali conducts a training session at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on January 24, 2026.
Nairobi’s interim coach Salim Ali on Saturday said they were fully focused on securing their first victory of the group.
“We have to play very well at home because that is when we will get results. If we get the three points tomorrow (Sunday), I think we will start to have the conversation within the team that yes, we can make it to the quarter-finals,” said Ali, who is the club’s technical director.
New Nairobi coach Godfrey “Solo” Oduor is expected to sit out this match but should be on the bench for the next continental fixture.
Only the top two sides in the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals. The Confed Cup winner will pocket $2 million (about Sh258 million) in prize money.
Casablanca tops Group “B” standings with six points, followed by Maniema on the same number of points but an inferior goal difference, while Azam and Nairobi trail with zero points each.
Ali said his side is adequately prepared for the match, having corrected the mistakes that cost them in their two group losses.
“Against Wydad we lost through concentration, while in our home match against Maniema, we played very well, created a lot of chances but again we lost through a mistake of our own,” said the interim coach.
“But I believe we have had time, we had a few matches where we have corrected the mistakes. So the boys are sharp and eager to play tomorrow (Sunday).”
He said all his players, including the new signings, most notably, international striker Benson Omala, are available for the match, save for Rwandese Prince Buregeya, who is sidelined with an injury.
Nairobi United's Dancan Omalla goes through a drill during a training session at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on January 24, 2026.
Omala could join his younger brother Duncan and speedy Ovella Ochieng in the hunt for goals at Nyayo Nairobi will however, be wary of their defence.
They have only kept one clean sheet in six Confederation Cup matches.
Similar to Nairobi, Azam are featuring in the group stage of the Confederation Cup for the first time.
However, the Dar es Salaam-based outfit have competed in nine Confed Cup editions since making their debut in 2013.
The team has pitched camp in Kenya since Wednesday. Their Congolese coach Florent Ibenge said that he is not under pressure but vowed they will do everything to carry the day. Azam lost 2-0 to Maniema, and 1-0 to Wydad.
