Harambee Stars: Can Benni McCarthy Turn Lessons from World Cup Qualifiers into Future Success?

Harambee Stars’ 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign ended with a 3-0 loss to World Cup-bound Côte d’Ivoire on Tuesday night in Abidjan, the city where the draw for the qualifiers was held on July 13, 2023.

The Kenyan national team were pooled in Group ‘F’ alongside reigning Afcon champions Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, Gabon, The Gambia, and Seychelles.

The first round of qualifiers – a group stage round that, for the first time, comprised all 54 CAF members except Eritrea – began on November 15, 2023. Eritrea withdrew before playing any matches over concerns players would seek political asylum if allowed to travel abroad.

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That stage concluded 700 days later, on October 14, leaving Stars looking into the future after finishing fourth in Group ‘F’ with 12 points from 10 matches.

“We have a young team. We are learning. In two years’ time, we will be ready and at a better level to compete with teams such as Côte d’Ivoire,” Harambee Stars’ South African coach Benni McCarthy said after the loss, praising the West Africans for qualifying to their fourth World Cup with a squad of “top quality international footballers.”

Kenya’s qualifying journey was marked by missed opportunities at home. Harambee Stars collected only five points from their five home matches, two of which – against Burundi (1-1) and Côte d’Ivoire (0-0) – were played in Malawi due to Kenya lacking CAF-approved venues.

Once Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums were cleared for official matches, Stars managed a 5-0 win over minnows Seychelles, but suffered narrow defeats to Gabon (2-1) and The Gambia (3-1).

On the road, Harambee Stars earned seven points, with wins against Burundi (1-0) and Seychelles (5-0), a draw against The Gambia (3-3), and losses to Côte d’Ivoire (3-0) and Gabon (2-1). Captain Michael Olunga reflected on the importance of maximizing home advantage, emphasizing that Kenya has top-notch sports facilities and that a strong start in qualifiers is crucial.

Indeed, Stars almost enjoyed a promising start, but dropped points from winning positions against Gabon and at home to Burundi, sandwiched around their 5-0 away victory against Seychelles. In the fourth match, under Turkish coach Engin Firat, Kenya squandered chances to beat Côte d’Ivoire, settling for a 0-0 draw in Lilongwe, Malawi.

When McCarthy took over in March, Harambee Stars collected seven points from a possible 18. Despite the challenges, Olunga’s blueprint for World Cup qualification was implemented effectively by other African sides such as Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia, who all booked their places in the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

The qualifiers also highlighted historic feats. Morocco became the first African country to secure a World Cup spot this cycle, finishing with a perfect record, while Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia qualified without conceding a single goal – a feat previously achieved by only seven teams in World Cup history.

Looking ahead, Harambee Stars’ young squad can use the lessons from this campaign to perform strongly in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. With McCarthy at the helm, the focus will be on turning experience into tangible results, building a team capable of challenging Africa’s elite sides.

The expansion of the Fifa World Cup to 48 teams means Africa earned nine guaranteed slots, with a potential tenth available through inter-continental play-offs.

Kenya may have missed out this time, but the groundwork laid by McCarthy and his youthful squad could shape a brighter future for Harambee Stars.