JOHANNESBURG – Kenya do not need a single point to secure their place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. But for Benni McCarthy, November’s double-header against South Africa could reveal how far the Harambee Stars still have to go.
As co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya are guaranteed a place at the tournament, which runs from 19 June to 17 July. Their qualifying campaign is therefore about preparation, confidence and building a team capable of competing on home soil.
Their next test carries a personal edge. McCarthy, Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading goalscorer, will face his homeland and a coach he regards as a mentor, Pitso Mosimane.
South Africa are scheduled to host the first meeting on 11 November, with Kenya hosting the return fixture four days later.
One group, different pressures
Kenya’s automatic qualification gives Group D an unusual dynamic. South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea are competing for just one remaining place, making dropped points potentially costly for Bafana.
Mosimane’s team have started strongly. South Africa beat Guinea 2-1 at Orlando Stadium before defeating Eritrea 5-0 in Cairo, where the Eritreans hosted the match because they lack a stadium meeting international requirements.
Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice in Cairo, with Yaya Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh also finding the net. The results gave Bafana six points from two matches, with seven goals scored and one conceded.
Kenya’s opening matches told a different story. Ryan Ogam’s 87th-minute equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw against Eritrea in Nairobi. The Harambee Stars then lost 1-0 in Conakry, where Serhou Guirassy scored the winner for Guinea.
That leaves McCarthy’s side with one point from two games. Qualification is assured, but the performances underline the work required before the tournament.
Disrupted preparations and missed chances
McCarthy’s preparations have also been complicated by problems away from the pitch.
Ahead of the Eritrea match, a dispute over unpaid player allowances reportedly disrupted training, limiting the time available to prepare his squad. For a coach trying to establish combinations and bring younger players into the team, that lost preparation matters.
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Nevertheless, McCarthy emerged from the Guinea defeat insisting that Kenya had been more competitive than many expected.
“People expected us to lose by three or four or five,” he said.
He argued that his team had created opportunities but failed to take them. He also disputed the decision to allow Guirassy’s goal, saying there had been a foul in the build-up.
Those complaints reflect his frustration, but the broader challenge remains Kenya’s ability to turn promising passages of play into results. A narrow defeat can offer encouragement; it still leaves a team searching for its first qualifying win.
Building a team for a home tournament
Automatic qualification gives McCarthy room to assess players and develop his squad without the immediate threat of elimination.
That freedom comes with responsibility. Kenya must use these competitive matches to establish a clear playing identity, strengthen combinations and identify players capable of handling tournament pressure.
McCarthy’s selections have reflected an effort to blend established internationals with emerging talent. Captain Michael Olunga remains central to the attack, while younger players have been brought into the national-team setup.
The South Africa fixtures should provide a useful measure of that progress. Facing the group leaders twice in four days will test Kenya’s organisation, concentration and ability to adjust between matches.
It will also expose whether McCarthy’s team can create and finish chances against stronger opposition.
Homeland loyalty meets professional duty
For McCarthy, the fixtures bring together two defining parts of his football career: the country he represented and the country he now coaches.
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He has dismissed suggestions that Mosimane’s return to the Bafana job has created bad blood between them. Respect, however, will not soften his competitive intent.
“My country didn’t employ me,” he told reporters in Nairobi.
The message was clear: his responsibility is to Kenya.
McCarthy has suggested that Bafana’s players may need time to adapt to Mosimane’s methods.
“It takes time to understand his philosophy,” he said.
South Africa’s opening results, however, suggest that Kenya cannot rely on an unsettled opponent. Mosimane has inherited a competitive squad and begun his return with two wins. The South African Football Association confirmed his reappointment on 1 September, following Hugo Broos’s departure after the World Cup.
The personal relationship will attract attention, but the outcome will depend on what the players deliver.
More than points at stake
For South Africa, two wins would strengthen their grip on Group D and place further pressure on Guinea and Eritrea in the race for the available qualifying berth.
For Kenya, the stakes are different but substantial. Their place at AFCON is secure; their ability to compete there is still being built.
The 2027 tournament will mark AFCON’s return to East Africa for the first time since Ethiopia hosted it in 1976, a gap of 51 years. That makes Kenya’s preparations part of a much larger regional moment.
McCarthy’s task is to ensure the Harambee Stars arrive with more than the privileges of hosting. November’s meetings with Bafana will show whether his team are beginning to match their ambitions with performances.
