Premium
McCarthy names final Harambee Stars squad for World Cup qualifiers
New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy smiles during his unveiling at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on March 3, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Kenya currently sit fourth in Group 'F' with five points after four matches.
- The Harambee Stars secured one victory against Seychelles (5-0), played to two draws against Côte d’Ivoire (0-0) and Burundi (1-1), and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Gabon.
Only five locally-based players have been included in Harambee Stars' final squad for their crucial 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against the Gambia and Gabon this week.
In his debut assignment as Harambee Stars head coach, South African football legend Benni McCarthy will lead the team against Gambia on Thursday at the 60,000-capacity Stade Allasane Ouattara in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Gambia is hosting the match in Abidjan due to a lack of an accredited international stadium. Four days later, Kenya will face Gabon at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Following nearly a week of training at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, McCarthy has trimmed his initial 49-man provisional squad to a final list of 23 players.
The five local-based players making the cut are goalkeeper Faruk Shikhalo (Bandari), defenders Manzur Okwaro (KCB) and Ronny Onyango (Gor Mahia), as well as midfielders Mohammed Bajaber (Kenya Police) and Ben Stanley Omondi (Gor Mahia).
Spain-based midfielder Ismael Gonzalez returns to the national team for the first time since the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt.
Foreign-based players Eric Johana Omondi, Daniel Francis Anyembe, and Richard Odada will link up with the squad in Abidjan.
Some key players who have been dropped from the final squad include assistant captain Joseph Okumu and the 2023/2024 Football Kenya Federation Premier League Most Valuable Player, Austine Odhiambo.
Coach McCarthy expressed his excitement about his first competitive matches in charge of the national team.
“I’m thrilled to lead my first two World Cup qualifiers. I’m eager to work with the talented squad I’ve selected for the campaign.
There’s plenty of hard work and dedication ahead, but we’re ready to embrace the challenge as a team,” said McCarthy, who previously served as Manchester United’s forwards coach.
The team is set to depart for Abidjan on Tuesday.
Kenya currently sit fourth in Group 'F' with five points after four matches. The Harambee Stars secured one victory against Seychelles (5-0), played to two draws against Côte d’Ivoire (0-0) and Burundi (1-1), and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Gabon.
Côte d’Ivoire lead the group with 10 points. The winners of each group will secure direct qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Additionally, the four best runners-up across the groups will advance to the CAF play-off tournament, where the winner will earn a spot in Fifa's intercontinental playoff for a final chance to qualify for the World Cup.