- The Kenya vs Estonia game will be played at the Amahoro Stadium from 1900EAT.
- It will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
- Harambee Stars will miss the services of goalscoring captain Michael Olunga.
Harambee Stars will face off against Estonia at the Amahoro stadium in Kigali,Rwanda in their opening match of the FIFA Series 2026 with kick off slated for 7PM EAT.
Despite a challenging run of form in late 2025 including a heavy defeat to Senegal, the Stars are looking to use this international window to build a cohesive identity ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations hosting duties.
Estonia arrive in Kigali with an experimental squad following a mixed UEFA campaign. Their journey to Rwanda has been marked by a focus on integration as head coach Jürgen Henn looks to breed eight potential debutants in the absence of several high-profile European-based veterans.
Since this tournament is set by FIFA for clubs that have never crossed paths in any other competition to test their global flavor on the pitch, this clash marks a historic first-ever showdown between Kenya and Estonia.
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Kenya vs Estonia Team News
The Harambee Stars face a significant blow as captain and talismanic striker Michael Olunga is sidelined with an injury, leaving him one goal short of the all-time national goalscoring record.
Additionally, defenders Joseph Okumu and Erick Ouma are unavailable also through injury, though the inclusion of Zech Obiero provides a fresh spark in the midfield.
For Estonia, there are massive concerns surrounding the spine of the team as goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein and captain Karol Mets are both out with long-term injuries.
Coach Perspectives
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy says the team is determined to bounce back from their heavy 8-0 defeat to Senegal.
“We are preparing for AFCON 2027, so this tournament is just about learning and being ready to improve from where we were and hopefully when AFCON comes, the experience gained will have seen that we have grown as a team and as individuals.
It is the first time we are playing against European opposition and so we want to test our skills and levels as unit against them,” he said.
Estonia faced Cyprus, Norway and Italy in their last matches, so it is a nice tester and I hope the boys are excited to accept this challenge and see how far they are as a team,” McCarthy added.
On his part, Estonia coach Jürgen Henn has described the tournament as a very interesting format to measure his team against new opponents.
“This is definitely a very interesting format, which gives us the opportunity to compare ourselves with completely new but quite similar teams during the March international break,” Henn said.
“Our goal is to make the most of this time, because after a long break, we need to find our rhythm again in order to be well prepared for the Baltic Cup in the summer and then the Nations League in the fall,” Henn added.
Predicted Lineups
- Kenya: Ian Otieno, Rooney Onyango, Mike Kibwage, Frank Odhiambo, Abud Omar, Richard Odada, Chrispine Erambo, Austine Odhiambo, Job Ochieng’, Mohamed Bajaber, Ryan Ogam.
- Estonia: Karl Andre Vallner, Michael Schjønning-Larsen, Erko Tõugjas, Rasmus Peetson, Kristofer Käit, Markus Poom, Martin Vetkal, Rocco Robert Shein, Patrik Kristal, Rauno Sappinen, Alex Matthias Tamm.
The winner of this clash will advance to face either Rwanda or Grenada in the final on March 30, while the losers will meet in the third-place playoff earlier that same day.