Football

AFCONQ2025: Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat welcomes Kenya's tough qualifying group

Kenya players celebrate their goal against Seychelles during their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on 20 November 2023. (Photo: Pool/FKF)

By Rama Mohammed and Michael Kirwa | Friday, July 5, 2024

Harambee Stars are pooled in Group J with five-time AFCON winners Cameroon and the southern Africa duo of Zimbabwe and Namibia

Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has expressed satisfaction with Kenya's AFCON 2025 qualifying group.

Kenya is pooled in Group J with five-time AFCON winners Cameroon and the southern Africa duo of Zimbabwe and Namibia.

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Cameroon are the highest ranked nation in the group as they are position 49 on the current FIFA Rankings. Namibia follow them in position 97. Kenya are 108 while Zimbabwe are ranked 21 places lower at 129.

Firat reckons that despite the disparity in FIFA Rankings, the four teams are of almost relative strength, an aspect that makes him anticipate that Group J will be the toughest and most open group in the qualifiers since all teams are capable of winning at home.

"I prefer being in a tough group because that way, each team stands a chance of qualifying until the end. In a group with an easy team that is not usually the case. Only one or two will control the groups as another loses all its matches. In such groups, it is difficult to progress because a single mistake can knock you out," Firat said soon after jetting back into the country from South Africa where he was following the progress of the Emerging Stars who were competing in the COSAFA Cup, a tournament which they were eliminated from despite finishing second in their group with six points from three matches following 2-0 wins over Zambia and Zimbabwe and 2-0 loss to Comoros.

In Group J of the AFCON 2025 qualifying group, only Cameroon, with 21 appearances, has been to more AFCONS than Kenya, six appearances. Zimbabwe has competed in five tournaments while Namibia have qualified four times.

Firat was categorical that history and a team's reputation will not matter when it comes to determining to Kenya's chances of qualifying for its 7th AFCON.

"Kenya has to qualify. It does not matter who we play, we have to be at AFCON," Firat said.

Kenya is not a stranger to the three countries having played at least six matches against each of the trio.

Namibia is the team that Kenya has met the least, six times, but they are one that has been a flesh in the thorn of the Harambee Stars since the two countries met in 1996 for 1998 AFCON qualifiers.

Namibia has defeated Kenya four times, winning three of those matches 1-0 and the other one 2-1. Kenya has only won only two matches against Namibia and both were 1-0 wins.

The two teams have only met in AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The two teams last played each other in September 2013 during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier match played in Nairobi which Kenya won 1-0.

Cameroon is the only team in the group that Kenya has never won against with Harambee Stars managing only four draws and suffering four losses in their eight meetings against the central Africans.

This will be the second time that the two countries have been pooled together in an AFCON qualifying group. The two countries drew both matches (0-0 in Nairobi and 1-1 in Cameroon) when they met during the 1998 AFCON qualifiers.

Kenya and Cameroon have also met thrice at AFCON with Kenya losing twice (2-1 in 1972 and 2-0 in 1990) and drawing once (0-0 in 1988).

Their other three meetings came in the All Africa Games (3-3 in 1987) and friendly matches in which Kenya suffered 3-1 losses in 1984 and 2010. That 2010 defeat at Kasarani accounts for the two teams’ last meeting to date. Kenya will be eager to improve their record against the Indomitable Lions who have been on a decline in the last two years.

With 12 meetings between, Zimbabwe is the team in Group J that Harambee Stars has played the most and had the most success against. Kenya has lost only once to Zimbabwe (a 2-0 defeat in the 1985 CECAFA Cup) with the remaining 11 matches ending in six wins for Kenya. There have been five draws between the two countries.

While that record looks good on paper, Kenya will have to put in the work against Zimbabwe as only one of their six wins against them have come in AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches. The other five wins have come in the CECAFA Cup (3 wins), COSAFA Cup (1 win), and friendly games (1).

Therefore, Kenya will look to do better than the one victory and three draws Harambee Stars registered in their four previous AFCON/FIFA World Cup qualifier matches against Zimbabwe.