World Cup (Q): McCarthy maintains Kenya wants to beat Burundi and Morocco

Kenya national team Benni McCarthy has maintained Harambee Stars focus is to beat Burundi and Ivory Coast and conclude their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with maximum points.

Harambee Stars qualification chances diminished during matchday eight and nine matches in September when they suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Gambia. Despite recovering to defeat Seychelles 5-0, their chances had already been dimmed.

Kenya targeting maximum points from Burundi and Ivory Coast

“It is World Cup qualifiers, it is opportunity for us to try and collect maximum points, but we know what is at stake as well, and we know that it’s us going into the lion’s Den because for Ivory Coast a win will definitely secure them automatic qualification for the World Cup,” said McCarthy as quoted by Flashscore.

“We know we are not there to do favours for anyone, so for us we are going there to play a match against a team that we want to win, we want three points, and that is our task, our objective, and for us to lose, we have to lose to a team that we knew, we had no opportunities, no possibilities of winning the game, that is the only way.”

The South African legend added: “We can only come out there not victorious because our opponents were much superior than us, but other than that, they gonna really have to earn a place to play in the World Cup qualifiers, we weren’t good enough to go there and beat them the first time, we let them off the hook, so it can’t be a revenge match for me.

“We have to prepare and be best prepared as possible as we can, so that we can go there and make use of the opportunities that will present themselves in the game and try not to repeat the same mistake by letting them off the hook and getting a draw, instead of a game that we should win.”

Kenya drew 0-0 against the African champions and 1-1 against Burundi in the first round matches. They will first face Burundi on October 9, at Intwari Stadium, before wrapping up their campaign against Ivory Coast on October 14 at Alassane Outtara Stadium.