Harambee Stars Surge in FIFA Rankings After Big Win Over Lesotho

Harambee Stars’ 4-0 win over Lesotho has had a positive impact on their FIFA rankings as they have moved up two places.

Kenya played two friendly matches against African minnows Lesotho last Thursday, ending 1-1, before the second one which they won 4-0 on Sunday, both games played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria.

Mohammed Bajaber and Lawrence Ouma each scored a brace as Benni McCarthy’s men ended their tour of South Africa with a flourish and the outcome has boosted their FIFA rankings.

Kenya went into the matches ranked 111 with Lesotho at 145 and after the 1-1 draw, Harambee Stars lost 1.09 points but they would gain 3.93 points for a total of 1,185.08 after the 4-0 win last weekend.

That saw them move up to position 109 on the rankings, highlighting a missed opportunity to gain more points in their disappointing draw in the first match.

Kenya will be hoping to build onto the positive ranking when they embark on the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September with Eritrea and Guinea their next opponents before back-to-back games against South Africa in November.

A positive outcome against Guinea, ranked 81 globally, will further boost Kenya’s rankings as they work towards a strong showing at AFCON 2027 which they have already qualified by virtue of being co-hosts.

In East Africa, Uganda remains the highest ranked nation at position 89 followed by Kenya (109) while Tanzania is ranked 112.

Morocco is Africa’s top ranked country at position seven globally with Senegal, 15th in the world, second on the continent followed by Nigeria (26th in the world), while Algeria and Egypt, follow in positions 28 and 29 in the world.

Meanwhile, Argentina has dislodged France as the world’s top nation, with Spain second, while Les Bleus are third, followed by England as Portugal complete the top five.