Harambee Stars training in Malawi in July © Harambee Stars
The Kenya national football team, Harambee Stars, has stagnated in the latest FIFA Rankings, remaining 108th despite the Emerging Stars impressing at the 2024 COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup.
Kenya played three matches at the 2024 COSAFA Cup, winning 2-0 against Zambia and Zimbabwe and losing 2-0 to Comoros.
However, that performance was only good enough to see Kenya add 2.73 points to its pointing tally, increasing it from 1195 to 1197.73 points.
Uganda, despite dropping from 94 to 95 and having their points reduced from 1243 to 1242.96, remains the CECAFA region's highest-ranked team. Kenya, at position 108, is second in the region.
Despite losing 0.01 points to rank 113 with 1174.99 points, Tanzania rose one position in the latest ranking and remains third in the CECAFA region.
Sudan, with 1152.29 points, up from 1152, remained 121st and, therefore, fourth in the CECAFA region.
Rwanda also stagnated at position 131, with their points increasing by 0.15 to 1114.15. They remain fifth in the CECAFA region.
Burundi added 0.24 points to increase their points tally to 1091.24, an increase that proved enough to see their position change from 140 to 139. Burundi is in the same 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group as Kenya.
Ethiopia, with 1066.16 points, up from 1066, remained in position 143.
South Sudan, like Uganda, is the other nation in the CECAFA region to realise a drop in rankings. South Sudan ranked 167 with 980 points in the previous ranking cycle. They are now 169th with 980.02 points.
Djibouti and Somalia remain the region's lowest-ranked teams, stagnating at 193 and 202 with 875.13 (up from 875) points and 829.81 points (down from 830), respectively.
Eritrea, which has not played an international match over the last year, is the only country among FIFA's 211 member states that was not ranked; as such, Somalia remains Africa's lowest-ranked country.
Kenya maintains position 25 in the CAF region, with Morocco still being the continent's highest-ranked nation despite dropping from 12th to 14th. Morocco currently has 1666.44 points.
Senegal (down from 18 to 19), Egypt (still 36th), reigning African champions Ivory Coast (down from 37 to 38), and AFCON 2023 finalist Nigeria (down from 38 to 39) complete the list of Africa's five highest-ranked nations.
Like Burundi, Ivory Coast is also in the same 2026 World Cup qualifying group as Kenya. The other teams in Kenya's group are Gabon, Gambia, and the Seychelles. The three countries stagnated at positions 83, 132, and 201, respectively.
A look at Kenya's opponents in the qualifiers for the 2025 African Cup of Nations reveals that Cameroon also stagnated, remaining in position 49 worldwide. Namibia, who were hammered 5-0 in the 2024 COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup final, dropped from position 97 to 98. Zimbabwe, who, like Kenya, registered two victories and one loss at the 2024 COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup, rose from 129 to 128.
The next ranking is two months away, with it scheduled to be released on September 19, 2024.
In the intervening period, Kenya will play two AFCON 2025 qualifier matches, against Zimbabwe (home) on September 2 and Namibia (away) on September 6. Victories in those two matches could prove enough to see Harambee Stars break into the top 100 for the first time since September 2017, when Kenya ranked 88th.
