FOOTBALL
Frank Rotich 5 days ago

Harambee Stars set to play friendly matches in Asia ahead of AFCON qualifiers

Harambee Stars during the Fifa Series in Rwanda. [Courtesy Harambee Stars]

Kenya’s national football team, Harambee Stars, will travel to Asia next month for two international friendly matches as part of preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Football Kenya Federation confirmed that coach Benni McCarthy and his squad will face Kyrgyzstan national football team on June 3 before taking on Palestine national football team on June 6 in Bishkek.

The matches will help the technical bench continue assessing players and building a stronger squad ahead of the AFCON qualifiers, which begin in September.

Kenya, alongside co-hosts Uganda and Tanzania, will still participate in the qualification campaign despite automatically qualifying as tournament hosts. CAF introduced the format to ensure host nations remain competitive before the tournament.

The two friendlies will also give Harambee Stars a chance to face new opponents for the first time. Kenya has never played against Kyrgyzstan or Palestine.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, both Asian nations are ranked above Kenya. Kyrgyzstan is ranked 107th while Palestine sits at number 95.

Kenya National Teams Coordinator Athanus Obala said the matches are important for the team’s growth.

“These are nice build-up matches as we continue preparing for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The games will give the technical bench a good opportunity to further assess the team and continue strengthening the squad,” said Obala.

Harambee Stars head into the friendlies with confidence after their recent FIFA Series matches in Rwanda, where they drew 1-1 against Estonia before beating Grenada 3-0 to register their first win of the year.