Benni McCarthy Returns to Familiar Ground as South Africa Confirm Venue for Harambee Stars Clash

South Africa has announced that their match against Kenya will be played in Johannesburg and not Cape Town as previously reported.

Kenya and South will face off in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on November 13 as Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy faces his country.

The match has now been confirmed for the Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg, the home of Orlando Pirates, a club where McCarthy enjoys cult status.

McCarthy had two highly successful years, leading the scoring as the Buccaneers won the league and cup double in 2012 and has been linked to coaching jobs with the Soweto giants in recent years.

“Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg will host the first of Bafana Bafana’s back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Kenya next month,” the South African Football Association announced on Friday.

“Bafana Bafana will welcome coach Benni McCarthy’s side on Friday, 13 November 2026 before traveling to Nairobi for the second match to be played on Tuesday, 17 November 2026. Kick off in Orlando is at 18h00.

“The two matches will have added spice as McCarthy will face his home country for the first time as Kenya coach and he will also have an opportunity to test his mettle against counterpart Pitso Mosimane on home soil.”

Pitso Mosimane’s side will enter the November international window with strong momentum after kicking off their campaign with consecutive victories—a 2-1 home triumph over Guinea followed by an emphatic 5-0 rout of Eritrea in Cairo.

Securing maximum points across the upcoming home-and-away double-header against Kenya would leave Bafana Bafana on the brink of booking their ticket to the continental showpiece.

However, McCarthy's charges will be determined to disrupt South Africa's plans and reignite their own form in what promises to be a fiercely contested encounter.

Kenya started their AFCON 2027 qualifiers with a 1-1 draw at home to Eritrea before losing 1-0 away to Guinea.