Kenya chances to qualify for World Cup now slim to none – McCarthy

Kenya national team coach Benni McCarthy has admitted that Harambee Stars will face a tall order to qualify from their Group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Harambee Stars will return to action with two matches, against Gambia on September 5 and Seychelles on September 8. Kenya sits fourth in their group with six points, behind Ivory Coast, Burundi, and Gabon. Ivory Coast lead the group with 16 points, followed by Gabon on 15 and Burundi with 10 points.

Asked whether Kenya can still make it to the World Cup, McCarthy responded as quoted by Pulse Sports: “Chances now are slim to none because we have four games, we can get 12 points to take us to 18 points, but it depends on what Ivory Coast and Burundi will get because they are ahead of us.

“It is what it is, and we want to make use of the four remaining matches, and I want to bring a lot of local players so they can get the international experience, so we can be ready for preparations for the next World Cup.”

Kenya’s matches come at a critical stage in the African qualifiers, which feature a group stage format. Teams are divided into groups, and each team plays home-and-away fixtures against their group rivals.

The top team in each group qualifies directly for the World Cup, the second round will pit the four best runners-up in two one-off semi-finals, followed by a final.

The winner of this second round will participate in the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

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