- Harambee Stars set for June international friendlies with two high-profile build-up matches lined up in Central Asia.
- Kenya will first face the Kyrgyzstan national football team on June 3 before taking on Palestine on June 6.
- The two fixtures form part of the team’s ongoing preparations for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers
The men’s national football side, Harambee Stars, will play two international friendly matches during the June FIFA international window.
The two fixtures lined up in Central Asia form part of the team’s ongoing preparations for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
Kenya has already secured qualification automatically as one of the co-host nations of the Pamoja bid alongside neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
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Harambee Stars set for June international friendlies
Benni McCarthy’s charges will first take on the Kyrgyzstan national football team on June 3, before facing Palestine on June 6.
Both encounters are expected to give the technical bench another chance to assess the squad and keep building cohesion ahead of a packed competitive schedule.
The fixtures will provide a solid test for the national team, especially against Kyrgyzstan, who are ranked above Kenya. Kyrgyzstan currently sit 107th in the FIFA rankings compared to Harambee Stars in 111th place, while Palestine are ranked lower at 202nd.
The matches will nonetheless offer the team a valuable platform to measure their progress.
National Teams Coordinator Athanus Obala welcomed the fixtures, highlighting their importance in the team’s preparations.
“These are nice build-up matches as we continue building up for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The games will give the technical bench a good opportunity to further assess the team and continue strengthening the squad,” said Obala.
The last time Kenya were in action was during the FIFA Series mini-tournament in March, held in Rwanda. There they played two fixtures: in the semifinal, they lost to Estonia on penalties, but managed to finish third after beating Greneda 3-0.
On top of preparing for the qualifiers, these two features are also part of McCarthy’s plan to integrate a solid squad that will definitely represent the nation well come next year.
The tournament kicks off on Saturday, 19 June 2027, with the final on Saturday, 17 July 2027.
During the Rwanda mini-tournament, overseas-based players and a few debutants made up most of the squad, and the same trend might be expected.
Qualification and the road to the final AFCON 2027 tournament
The draw for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2027 Qualifiers will be conducted on Tuesday, 19 May 2026
The qualifiers draw will be held at the Egyptian Football Association Headquarters (“EFA”) in Cairo, Egypt.
A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosts, will take part in the qualifiers.
The draw will determine the path to the finals, with 24 sides set to secure a spot in Africa’s flagship football event.
The qualifiers will be played across three windows in the FIFA International Match Calendar ahead of the finals, which are scheduled to take place from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
- Matchdays 1 and 2: 21 September to 6 October 2026
- Matchdays 3 and 4: 9 to 17 November 2026
- Matchdays 5 and 6: 22 to 30 March 2027
The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four sides each. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the finals, while groups containing one of the co-hosts will see one additional team progress.