Harambee Stars will return to action after their disappointing 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign, which saw them kick off with a draw and a defeat.
In matchday one, Kenya came from behind to draw 1-1 against Eritrea at home before travelling to Conakry, where they lost 1-0 against Guinea.
Kenya will conclude their break against Rwanda, who started their AFCON qualification campaign with a 3-1 win against Lesotho, and later defeated Cape Verde 2-1 in matchday two to top Group K with maximum six points.
Rwanda a nice little test for Kenya
“Rwanda has been doing exceptionally well. They’ve had two fantastic AFCON qualifiers, and happy that they managed to win,” said McCarthy ahead of the friendly.
“So, it would be nice to see them in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for the AFCON, and we hope that they qualify because the more teams we have from East Africa, the better it is for the tournament, and it will help this region to hopefully do well in the AFCON.
“So, we’re excited to play them, and yeah, I know it’s going to be a very difficult game because they have good players, they’ve got a very good coach, and the results that they’ve been showing have shown, so it’s a nice little test for us in the match.
“You know that we’re the host nation for the AFCON; it helps because you don’t have to qualify, but still, in the group stages we always want to do our best, and we want to prepare the strongest possible team.”
AFCON qualification
The qualification competition for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations takes place from September 2026 to March 2027. The 48 teams have been drawn into 12 groups, with the top two in each advancing to the 24-team finals. Hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda qualify automatically, but are still playing in the qualifiers; only one other team will advance from their groups.
AFCON qualifying fixtures | AFCON qualifying standings | African football news
On Kenya’s readiness for the friendly, McCarthy said: “We had a training session on Sunday, and it was okay. The training pitch was still in good condition.
“So, that is a plus. And yeah, we’re looking forward to this friendly match. It’s a good opportunity to give a lot of young players who have come into the team.”
McCarthy continued: “When the AFCON comes, then we’re ready. So, we don’t want to just play for the sake of playing. We want to win, you know?
“Whether we finish first or second in the group, that’s our aim, and that's our target, because these games help us prepare to see which players are the best when it comes to the AFCON; then we can select the strongest possible team to have a good fight and to try to have a good tournament.
“And yeah, Rwanda, their results have been very, very good. And they are one of the top teams, you know, in the African region and in their group, they are first. So, they must be doing something very good.”
Kenya have already qualified automatically as co-hosts, and only the highest-placed side among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will join Kenya at PAMOJA 2027 AFCON in East Africa.
