Harambee Stars drop three places in latest FIFA rankings as Starlets make major leap
Harambee Stars have dropped three places in the latest FIFA Rankings, now sitting 111th globally. Meanwhile, Harambee Starlets made a historic leap, climbing seven places to 142nd after their landmark win against Tunisia.
Harambee Stars have slipped three positions in the latest FIFA Rankings released on Thursday.
The team now ranks 111th out of 210 nations with 1,179 points, down from 108th with 1,190 points. The drop follows Kenya’s failure to win either of their two international ‘A’ matches during the ranking cycle.
In March, Harambee Stars played two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, drawing 3-3 away to The Gambia before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Gabon. These were the first assignments for Benni McCarthy since his unveiling as head coach on March 3.
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FIFA is set to release the next rankings on July 10, during which time Harambee Stars will not have played a competitive match, as the June FIFA window in the CAF region is reserved for friendlies.
Despite dropping one position to 89th, Uganda remains the top-ranked team in the CECAFA region, followed by Tanzania, who also fell from 106th to 107th. Kenya is third in the region.
Somalia was the only CECAFA team to record an improvement, moving from 202nd to 201st. The Ocean Stars earned a historic 0-0 draw away to Guinea before falling 2-0 away to Botswana in their two World Cup qualifiers.
Other CECAFA teams are ranked as follows (previous positions in brackets), Sudan at 114, down from 113, Rwanda 130 (down from 124), Burundi 140, (down from 139) Ethiopia 147 (down from 146) South Sudan 170 (unchanged) Djibouti 192 (down from 191)
Eritrea remains unranked, having not played an international match since January 2020.
Africa’s top teams
On the continental stage, Harambee Stars now rank 27th in Africa after being overtaken by Namibia (108th) and Mauritania (110th).
AFCON 2025 hosts Morocco continue to lead Africa’s rankings, climbing two places to 12th overall. They are followed by AFCON 2021 champions Senegal, who dropped from 17th to 19th. Egypt (32nd) is third, while Algeria (36th) and Ivory Coast (41st) complete Africa’s top five.
Harambee Starlets on the rise
While Harambee Stars dropped in the FIFA rankings, Harambee Starlets made a historic leap, climbing seven places to 142nd in the women’s rankings.
Their rise was fueled by a strong performance against Tunisia in February’s AFCON 2026 qualifiers. The Starlets held Tunisia to a 0-0 draw at home before securing a 1-0 away victory—the first time a Kenyan football team has won a competitive match away to North African opposition.
The results earned them 41.31 additional points, increasing their tally from 1,020 to 1,061.31. Their surge made them the biggest climbers globally. In contrast, Tunisia suffered the biggest drop, falling 11 places while losing 43.79 points.
Harambee Starlets now rank 24th in Africa, up from 30th. Their standing in the CECAFA region has also improved, jumping from fourth to third after overtaking Uganda (148th). Ethiopia (128th) and Tanzania (138th) remain the only CECAFA teams ranked higher than Kenya.
Other CECAFA women’s teams are ranked as follows Rwanda 165 (up from 168) Burundi 178 (unchanged) South Sudan 193 (unchanged) Djibouti 195 (unchanged)
The women’s teams of Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan remain unranked.
Africa’s top five women’s teams are: Nigeria (36), South Africa (54), Morocco (60), Zambia (64), Ghana (65).
The next FIFA women’s rankings will be released on June 12, 2025. Harambee Starlets have an opportunity to climb even higher if they secure positive results in their upcoming friendly matches against Ivory Coast on April 4 and April 7. The Ivorians are currently ranked 71st globally.
Additionally, the May-June FIFA window will present another opportunity for Starlets to improve their ranking.
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