Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has emphasized the importance of the ongoing FIFA Series tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, describing it as a crucial platform for Kenya to test itself against different styles of play as preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gather momentum.
Rwanda is hosting the FIFA Series, a tournament that has brought together eight national teams from different confederations to compete in an international friendly competition aimed at improving global football development and exposure.
Group A features Kenya, Estonia, Grenada, and hosts Rwanda, with all matches being played at Amahoro Stadium, while Group B consists of Tanzania, Aruba, Macau, and Liechtenstein, with matches taking place at Kigali Pelé Stadium.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy outlines importance of FIFA Series 2026
Kenya is set to face Estonia in their opening match before taking on the winner between Grenada and Rwanda in the second fixture.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, McCarthy highlighted the significance of facing teams from outside Africa, noting that such tournaments provide valuable international exposure and a chance to measure the team’s progress.
“It is a really great initiative from FIFA because it allows us, African countries, a unique opportunity to play against other federations, but not just other federations, but against European opposition and Caribbean opposition. So it is really great for our players to test skills and levels in terms of where we are in preparations and where we are as a country,” said McCarthy.
The South African tactician pointed out that playing against Estonia, a European side that has recently faced strong opponents such as Cyprus, Norway, and Italy in the World Cup qualifiers, presents a good challenge for his team.
“When you play against these European teams, for me specifically against Estonia, whose last three matches were against Cyprus, Norway, and Italy in the World Cup qualifiers, it is a nice test for us.
I hope the boys are excited for this challenge and they will try and play and do the best they can and see how far apart we are from Europe because when you watch World Cup qualifiers for the European teams, you always think your level is not close to that.
Now we have an opportunity to test ourselves against a good European side, so it will be interesting but also a very good challenge for the players that we have,” he added.
ALSO READ: McCarthy hits back at critics questioning Harambee Stars selection ahead of FIFA Series 2026
McCarthy also stressed that the FIFA Series should be viewed as part of a long-term learning process as Kenya builds a competitive squad for AFCON 2027, which the country will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania. According to the former FC Porto striker, the focus is not on immediate results but on growth, improvement and gaining experience.
“The second thing is that it is a learning process. We are preparing for AFCON 2027 and you are not expecting your team to be winning every single game. For me it is about being ready to compete, ready to learn, and ready to improve from where we were last time. Whatever success we have experienced, we just want to be here, learn, and improve,” McCarthy explained.
He further noted that the experience gained from tournaments such as the FIFA Series and upcoming international friendlies will help the team grow both individually and collectively ahead of the continental showpiece.
“Hopefully when AFCON 2027 comes, all this experience that we have gained from playing in matches like the FIFA Series and other upcoming international friendlies, we will have grown together as a team and as individuals. When 2027 comes, that is when I want to hear my team saying we are targeting to win three out of four group stage games and qualify for the next stages. But for now, it is all about improving, getting better and learning from every experience we encounter,” he concluded.
With Kenya continuing to rebuild under Coach Benni McCarthy, the FIFA Series presents a timely opportunity for Harambee Stars to sharpen their competitiveness, assess their progress against international opposition and lay a strong foundation for a successful AFCON 2027 campaign.