Harambee Stars tactician Engin Firat is expecting an uphill task in the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Preliminaries Qualifiers.
Kenya is pooled in Group F for the qualifiers alongside Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles following the draw conducted in Ivory Coast on Thursday evening.
The top team in the group by the end of the qualifiers will book the only available direct slot to the global showpiece set for the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The four best losers from the nine groups in the qualifiers will then play in a continental playoff in search of one team that will proceed to the intercontinental playoff.
Speaking in an interview, Firat termed the group an open one but further opined that Kenya’s chances are not so high.
“I think it is an open group and will be decided on details and well organization more so for us if we sort out our financial problems.
We are not favourites as some people are trying to say but our aim is to make history. We shall try our best but there is no guarantee. We will just do our best even if our chances are not so high,” the Turkish said as quoted on Nation.
Kenya is the third-ranked team in the group at position 105 globally according to the latest FIFA rankings, with top seed Ivory Coast at 51 in the world while Gabon are 85.
Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles are positioned at 119, 140, and 196 in that order.
The qualifiers are scheduled to start in November this year, with Match Day One and Two scheduled for between 13-21 November, while the third and fourth match days are scheduled for June 2024.
The last match day will be in the week of October 6-14 while the Continental play-off will be staged between 10-18 November 2025 at a venue to be communicated later.
Full Draw
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Congo DR, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan
Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius
Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome
Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad
