Harambee Stars: Winners and Losers from Benni McCarthy’s FIFA Series Squad

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy unveiled his 23-man squad for the FIFA Series which will see them play against Estonia, Grenada and Rwanda in Kigali from March 21-31.

The squad saw the return of a number of players while some will be looking to make their debuts. However, others who had hoped to make the squad, missed out.

Here are some of the winners and losers from Benni McCarthy’s squad.

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The defender returned to Gor Mahia in January 2026 from an unsuccessful spell in Sweden and has earned a call-up after impressing so far for K’Ogalo.

The defender, who joined English Championships club Charlton Athletic in January, was widely expected to make the squad but an injury nearly a couple of weeks ago ruled him out.

The English-born defender, who also sealed a January move, joining English Championship big spenders Wrexham, could make his Kenyan debut after being called up. Vyner was first called up in 2024 but a passport issue forced him out of the team but he is now in contention.

The midfielder earns a return to the national team after missing Kenya’s last four matches and his call-up is down to the fact that he has been enjoying a run of games for Romanian side UTA Arad.

The midfielder may have returned to action with his Polish side Lech Pozanan after being frozen out for disciplinary reasons early in the year but he will not be involved with Harambee Stars this month despite playing a large part in the World Cup qualifiers.

Despite being dropped from the senior squad at Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger AC to the second-string team, coach Benni McCarthy still kept faith with him, perhaps due to his knack for clutch moments in a Harambee Stars shirt.

Top scorer in the Zambian top flight with 14 goals and 16 across all competitions for Power Dynamos this season, the striker was still not handed a call-up, raising a few eyebrows.

The 20-year-old England-born star could be about to make his debut after getting a call-up following a recent visit by a Kenyan delegation to Europe to lure foreign-born players who are eligible to play for Harambee Stars.

The FKF Premier League top scorer, who has bagged 12 goals so far, would have been hoping that his form could earn him a spot in the national team for the friendly matches but he will have to wait a little longer as he did not get a look-in.

The Simba SC playmaker last played for Harambee Stars in March 2025 and is set to return one year later after injuries hampered him for most of this season. An injury last June has kept him out of action and even cast doubts about his Simba future but he will be hoping to grab his opportunity.

The Ulinzi Stars winger has been one of the main men under McCarthy but he is set to miss out on the FIFA Series.