Kenya Begin AFCON 2027 Campaign Against Eritrea

Kenya will open their PAMOJA Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualification campaign against Eritrea on Saturday, September 26, as the race for a place at the continental tournament gets underway across Africa.

The Harambee Stars will host Eritrea at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, with kick-off scheduled for 4:00 PM East African Time. 

Kenya are drawn in Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea. The other Group D fixture on Saturday will see South Africa host Guinea. 

Despite already securing their place at the 2027 finals as one of the three co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya’s Harambee Stars coached by former Bafana Bafana Forward Benni MacCarthy will participate in the qualifying campaign. The matches provide competitive preparation for the tournament while allowing head coach Benni McCarthy to assess and build his squad ahead of PAMOJA 2027. 

Group D qualification race

The qualification arrangement is slightly different in the groups containing the three host nations. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are automatically qualified for the finals regardless of their results in the group stage.

In Group D, only the highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea will secure the additional qualification place alongside Kenya. This makes every encounter between the three non-host teams significant.

For Kenya, Saturday's meeting with Eritrea will be the first of six group-stage fixtures. The Harambee Stars will then travel to Conakry to face Guinea on October 1. 

Coach McCarthy will be looking to use the campaign to develop a competitive side capable of representing the co-host nation when the finals are staged in East Africa in 2027.

AFCON 2027 Qualifiers – Matchday 1 Results

25 September 2026

1. Mozambique 1–1 Senegal 
2. Sudan 1–0 Ethiopia 
3. Tanzania 0–2 Guinea-Bissau 
4. Niger 2–1 Lesotho 
5. Malawi 2–1 South Sudan 
6. The Gambia 2–1 Somalia 
7. Togo 1–0 Burundi 
8. Rwanda 3–1 Liberia 
9.  Nigeria 2–1 Madagascar 
10.  Morocco 2–0 Gabon 
11.  Egypt 0–0 Angola 
12. Burkina Faso 1–1 Benin 
13.  Algeria 3–1 Zambia 
14. Mali 3–1 Cabo Verde