Harambee Stars face Burundi in battle for pride at refurbished Intwari Stadium
Harambee Stars head into the match buoyed by a morale-boosting 5-0 win over Seychelles, ending a four-game winless run.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars set foot today at a refreshed Intwari Stadium for round nine of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against the Swallows of Burundi.
The matchup, while no longer deciding qualification, carries plenty at stake: pride, momentum, and regional bragging rights.
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The fixture also marks a homecoming for Burundi, with the national side returning to Intwari for the first time in four years following the stadium’s refurbishment.
The last competitive match at the venue was a 2-2 draw with the Central African Republic during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, making Thursday’s clash an emotional occasion for local fans.
The stadium also holds bitter memories for Kenya, which lost 1-0 at the ground in the 2012 CHAN qualifiers, the pair’s first competitive meeting.
On paper, the encounter is finely poised. Burundi sits fourth in Group F with 10 points, one ahead of Kenya in fifth, while the FIFA world rankings give the Harambee Stars a slim advantage (Kenya 111, Burundi 141).
History underlines the rivalry’s balance across eight previous meetings: both nations have two wins apiece and four draws.
Harambee Stars striker Ryan Wesley Ogam trains ahead of the fixture. (Photo: FKF)
Their most recent meeting, the reverse fixture in June 2024, ended 1–1 in Malawi when Kenya hosted.
Burundi boasts a mixed record in the qualifiers of three wins, one draw, and four losses.
Recent results have been worrying for the home side. Successive defeats to the Ivory Coast (1-0) and Gambia (2-0) ended their World Cup hopes and marked the first time in this campaign they failed to score in consecutive qualifiers.
Head coach Patrick Sangwa will also be without his captain, Frédéric Nsabiyumva, who missed out due to injury.
The Harambee Stars, meanwhile, head into the match buoyed by a morale-boosting 5-0 win over Seychelles, ending a four-game winless run.
That barren spell included home defeats to Gambia (1-3) and Ivory Coast (1-2), alongside draws in the same international windows, underscoring the team’s inconsistency earlier in the campaign. Still, Kenya’s attack has been the group’s most potent, and the 5-0 victory gives them fresh confidence as they chase a strong finish.
With qualification out of reach for both sides, the contest at the newly renovated Intwari Stadium becomes a matter of pride and statement.
Burundi will want to christen their redeveloped home with a strong showing, while the Harambee Stars will be eager to end the qualifiers on a high and rewrite recent memories of the venue.
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