Harambee Stars face Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium in their opening 2027 Afcon qualifier.
Kenya enter their opening 2027 Afcon qualifier with just one collective training session after players declined to train over unpaid allowances.
Harambee Stars face Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium today in their opening Group F match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, following preparations disrupted by a dispute over unpaid player allowances.
Kenya’s players declined to train earlier in the week, leaving coach Benni McCarthy with limited time to prepare his squad. The team eventually completed its first and only collective training session yesterday, a day before the fixture.
The match offers Kenya an opportunity to extend a four-game unbeaten run and develop greater consistency ahead of the 2027 Afcon finals, which the country will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania. Eritrea, however, bring both recent preliminary-round success and a strong record in the teams’ previous meetings.
Training disruption tests McCarthy’s plans
The allowance dispute interrupted a period McCarthy needed to organise his players and work through his approach to the opening qualifier. With only one session together, the squad has had little collective preparation for the demands of the match.
That leaves questions over the team’s readiness, particularly how quickly players can establish an understanding on the pitch and execute the technical bench’s plans. Home advantage gives Kenya a platform, but the disrupted build-up adds uncertainty to the assignment.
Winger Job Ochieng nevertheless expressed confidence that the players could deliver despite their limited time together. He acknowledged the short preparation period while stressing the squad’s intention to give its best.
Ochieng also admitted that he knew little about Eritrea, but said he was eager to face them and demonstrate Kenya’s ability to compete at a high level.
Kenya seek to build on unbeaten run
Recent results provide encouragement for Harambee Stars. They beat Lesotho 4-0 and drew 1-1 with the same opponents, before recording a 3-0 victory over Grenada and another 1-1 draw against Estonia.
Those four matches have brought two wins and two draws, giving Kenya momentum heading into the Nyayo encounter. Their attacking returns offer a positive reference point as McCarthy looks to establish a clearer competitive identity.
The broader five-match sequence also contains an 8-0 defeat to Senegal, however, underlining the work still required to produce consistent performances. The Eritrea fixture will test whether Kenya can sustain their more recent improvement despite the training interruption.
Eritrea arrive with confidence and history
Eritrea advanced through the preliminary round by beating Eswatini twice. The Red Sea Camels won the first meeting 2-1 and followed it with a 2-0 victory in the return fixture.
Their other recent results were less convincing: a 1-0 loss and a goalless draw against Niger, alongside a 3-0 defeat to Ethiopia. Even so, their record against Kenya gives the visitors reason for confidence.
The sides last met at the 2019 CECAFA Cup, where Eritrea won 4-1. In their earlier meetings during the 2007 Afcon qualifying campaign, Eritrea secured a 2-1 victory in September 2006 before the return match finished goalless in June 2007.
Kenya therefore enter the contest with an encouraging recent attacking record but no room for complacency. Turning that form into a positive opening result will require McCarthy’s players to overcome both their restricted preparation and opponents who have troubled them before.
