Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy has named his provisional squad ahead of Harambee Stars’ back-to-back fixtures against South Africa in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Kenya will first face South Africa’s Bafana Bafana away at Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg on Friday, November 13th before returning to Nairobi for the second match to be played on Tuesday, November 17th at Nyayo Stadium.
The first meeting in Johannesburg will kick off in Orlando at 18h00. Kenya will go into the qualifiers seeking to register their first victory. Harambee Stars started their Group D campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea before losing 1-0 away against Guinea in Conakry.
For South Africa, they are perched at the top of the pile after playing and winning two AFCON qualifying matches in September 2026.
Pitso Mosimane’s charges beat Guinea 2-1 in Johannesburg and then thumped Eritrea 5-0 in Egypt. The South African senior men’s national team also beat Egypt 1-0 in Cairo during the window.
The matchday three and four fixtures will be a huge test for McCarthy, who will be facing his native South Africa for the first time in his managerial career.
McCarthy has selected a 36-man provisional squad for the fixtures, which includes returning players like South Africa-based goalkeeper Ian Otieno (Richards Bay) alongside captain Michael Olunga and other foreign- and local-based talents.
Olunga and Otieno missed the opening two qualifiers. For Olunga, he was ruled out owing to an injury which has seen him miss a number of matches for his Saudi Pro League club Al-Arabi.
The former Gor Mahia and Tusker FC striker last appeared for Kenya during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Gambia on September 5th, 2025.
He started and captained the side, playing the full match before missing subsequent international call-ups due to a long-term pelvic injury.
Olunga’s return will be a huge boost for a player, who only needs two more goals to become Kenya’s all-time national team top scorer. He reached 34 goals after scoring a crucial brace during a 5-0 victory over Seychelles in the World Cup qualifiers.
Two more goals will see him overtake former Gor Mahia great William Ouma.
What is at stake?
While Kenya has an automatic qualification spot as a co-host of AFCON 2027 (alongside Uganda and Tanzania), South Africa needs points in Group D to secure their qualification path.
The 2027 AFCON will be jointly staged by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, meaning the qualifying campaign offers McCarthy an important opportunity to build and assess his team in competitive matches ahead of the tournament.
Kenya has qualified for the AFCON six times in history, but they have never advanced past the group stage.
Their last appearance was in 2019 in Egypt, where they recorded a 3-2 win against Tanzania but exited in the group stage after defeats to Algeria and Senegal.
A total of 48 nations will compete in the qualifiers, with 24 teams set to feature at the final.
Kenya provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Byrne Omondi, Faruk Shikhalo, Ian Otieno, Brian Bwire, Caleb Kramer.
Defenders: Vincent Harper, Stanley Wilson, Eric Ouma, Abud Omar, Amos Wanjala, Frank Odhiambo, Deon Woodman, Daniel Ayembe, Joseph Okumu, Sylvester Owino, Michael Kibagwe, Rooney Onyango, Hannif Wesonga.
Midfielders: Manzur Okwaro, Henry Ochieng, Chris Erambo, Marvin Nabwire, Zak Vyner, Alwyn Tera, Alpha Onyango.
Forwards: Aldrine Kibet, Will Lenkupae, Kevin Wangaya, Mohammed Bajaber, Ben Stanley, Job Ochieng, Adam Wilson, Michael Olunga, Ryan Ogam, Micah Obiero, Lawrence Okoth.
