McCarthy lauds Ivory Coast as Harambee Stars end World Cup quest with defeat
Ivory Coast’s victory capped off an impressive qualification campaign, as they finished top of Group F with 26 points without conceding a single goal.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has praised the Ivory Coast after the 3-0 defeat, bringing Kenya's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification journey to an end.
The loss at the hands of the Elephants sealed Kenya’s fate in Group F, with Ivory Coast finishing top of the group after an unbeaten campaign.
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Goals from captain Franck Kessié, Yan Diomande, and a stunning direct free-kick by Manchester United winger Amad Diallo were enough to hand the Elephants a comfortable win over the Stars.
Speaking during the post-match interview, McCarthy congratulated the Ivorians for their dominant performance and qualification, acknowledging the gulf in experience between the two sides.
“First, I would like to congratulate Coach Pai and the Ivory Coast national team for their qualification to the World Cup qualifiers. I think the objective today was to go out there and try and make it very complicated, difficult for the Ivory Coast because we are a professional national team. We don't want to come here to lose the match, but you have to give credit where it's due,” said McCarthy.
He admitted that the Ivory Coast’s squad, made up of established stars from top European clubs, posed a formidable challenge for his young, developing team.
“You look at the quality, the players that Ivory Coast had all internationals playing for European top clubs and Kenya, we are building, we have a young team, we are learning,” he added. “It was to give everything we can to play with our pride, but unfortunately, when you play such a strong, experienced team like the Ivory Coast, it's always going to be difficult no matter how tactically you try to set out the game.”
The South African tactician highlighted the individual brilliance of players like Amad Diallo and Nicolas Pépé, who made the difference on the day.
“They just have too many individual quality players that can change a match. Amad Diallo is one of those players, Nicolas Pépé too. So, yeah, it was always going to be almost impossible for us to stop a very good Ivory Coast team, but it was a fantastic learning experience for us, and I think in two years we will be ready and at a better level to be able to compete with teams like Ivory Coast.”
Ivory Coast’s victory capped off an impressive qualification campaign, as they finished top of Group F with 26 points without conceding a single goal.
They won eight matches and drew two, one of which was their first encounter with Kenya. Their biggest win came in a 7-0 demolition of Seychelles, while Kenya’s highest-margin victory was also against Seychelles, finishing 5-0.
The Elephants now join Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia among the African nations that have booked their tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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