Kenya Football Team: Harambee Stars Fixtures, Squad, FIFA Ranking and AFCON 2027

In football, Kenya means the Harambee Stars, the men's national team run by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), first seen in a one all draw with Uganda in Nairobi on 1 May 1926. Following the host announcement on 27 September 2023, Kenya is one of three co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Uganda and Tanzania, which secures the Harambee Stars a place at the finals. The tournament is scheduled for 19 June to 17 July 2027. The fixtures, results, squad and ranking modules above update after every match. Use the fixtures to check opponents and kick-off times, the results to review scores, the squad to check selections and the ranking to compare Kenya with other national teams.

The squad module lists players by position, club and caps, helping readers check who has been selected and where each player builds their club career. South African readers looking for the Kenya soccer team can use the same list. For Harambee Stars kick-offs, compare Nairobi and Kampala on EAT with Lagos on WAT, Johannesburg on SAST and Accra on GMT using the time table. Kenya's opponent records, AFCON 2027 route and dated honours connect the team's story with Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. For every other side on the continent, our national teams hub carries the full list.

Who Are the Harambee Stars, and Where Does the Name Come From?

The Harambee Stars are Kenya's senior men's team. The name comes from harambee, a Swahili word meaning 'all pull together' that is also Kenya's national motto.

Kenya appointed Benni McCarthy, the South African former Bafana Bafana striker, as head coach in 2025. Michael Olunga was named the Japanese top division's Most Valuable Player in 2020, while Victor Wanyama captained Kenya at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The coach, captain and staff are kept in the team module, which changes whenever the FKF makes an appointment, so check their names there.

Harambee Stars Fixtures: What Time Is Kick-Off Where You Live?

Every Kenya fixture in the module above is listed in East Africa Time first, with West Africa Time, South Africa Standard Time and GMT beside it, along with the venue, the opponent and the broadcaster in each country. Nairobi, Kampala and Dar es Salaam share the same clock, so the three 2027 co-hosts watch the same kick-off. Johannesburg sits an hour behind, Lagos two hours behind and Accra three hours behind, which makes a 7pm kick-off in Nairobi 6pm in Johannesburg, 5pm in Lagos and 4pm in Accra. None of these countries changes its clocks during the year, so the gaps in the table below hold in every month.

If you searched 'Kenya vs' or 'Harambee Stars results today', the results module shows the latest score, the scorers and the competition, and each fixture carries a one line note on what the match means. Read that note before the score. Check whether the result contributes to a qualifying group or comes from a friendly before comparing matches. The head to head line under each fixture shows Kenya's record against that opponent across every meeting, which is the quickest way to judge whether a result is a surprise or simply the usual pattern.

Who Is in the Harambee Stars Squad?

The current Harambee Stars squad sits in the squad module, listed by position with each player's club and caps, and it changes with every call up. Use the club column to distinguish players based abroad from those in Kenya's domestic top division, the Kenyan Premier League. The African Nations Championship (CHAN) is open only to players competing in their own country's domestic league, so check the competition alongside the squad list when comparing selections.

Olunga was the Japanese top division's leading scorer and Most Valuable Player in 2020, while Wanyama joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2016 after playing for Celtic and Southampton. Use the squad module to check selections and club affiliations for each international window. The caps column is worth a second look. It could be argued that a squad with several players past fifty caps has the experience a tight tournament group needs, while a list of new faces suggests the coach is building towards the next cycle.

Who Coaches Kenya, and How Do the Harambee Stars Play?

Kenya's head coach is named in the team module. Kenya appointed former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy as head coach in 2025. Use the match notes under each result to assess how the team builds attacks and protects a lead over a campaign. Kenya beat four time African champions Ghana by a goal to nil on 8 September 2018.

Where Do the Harambee Stars Sit in the FIFA Ranking?

The current Harambee Stars FIFA ranking is shown in the ranking module, which updates whenever FIFA publishes a new list, usually after an international window. Kenya's best position was 68th in December 2008 and its lowest was 137th in July 2007, only seventeen months apart. FIFA introduced its SUM ranking method in 2018. Under that method, points changes depend on match importance, the result and the expected result, which is calculated from the teams' ranking points before the match.

To read the module properly, look at the movement since the last list and at Kenya's place among African nations, not only the world number. For Nigerian and Ghanaian readers comparing Kenya with the Super Eagles and the Black Stars, the African position is the fairer guide. Under the method introduced in 2018, continental qualifiers have a higher importance weighting than friendlies, but the result and expected result also determine the points gained or lost. Qualifiers can therefore affect Kenya's ranking even when its finals place has been secured through host selection.

How Do Kenya Reach AFCON 2027, and Where Will They Play?

Kenya's place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations was secured through co-host selection in 2023, when the Confederation of African Football named Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda joint hosts on 27 September. The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled for 19 June to 17 July 2027 with 24 teams. Kenya was still drawn in Group D of the qualifiers with South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea, and readers often ask why a co-host plays them at all. In plain terms, the results do not decide Kenya's place, but they give the Harambee Stars competitive matches against strong African opposition, which no friendly can fully replace, and they count towards the ranking.

Kenya's two venues for the finals are both in Nairobi: the new Raila Odinga International Stadium and the renovated Moi International Sports Centre, each listed at a capacity of 60,000. For fans travelling from Kampala and Dar es Salaam, the Nairobi matches sit on the same clock as home. Supporters coming from Lagos, Accra or Johannesburg should plan around the time gaps in the kick-off table. The fixtures module lists each of Kenya's finals matches with venue and kick-off time as the schedule is confirmed, and ticket sales are run by the tournament organisers.

What Have the Harambee Stars Won?

Kenya's trophies come mainly from the region, with the CECAFA Cup won in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2002, 2013 and 2017. The three titles in a row from 1981 to 1983 are the high point of that record, and the CECAFA Cup is where Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania meet as regional rivals. Beyond East Africa, Kenya won the silver medal at the 1987 African Games. In 2024 the team reached the quarter-finals of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) on its first appearance, unbeaten in five matches with three wins and two draws.

At the Africa Cup of Nations, Kenya played the finals in 1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004 and 2019, and each of those six tournaments ended in the group stage, with 2027 as co-host making a seventh appearance. Kenya has not yet reached a FIFA World Cup finals. Up to the 2026 edition, its record across 16 qualifying campaigns is 84 matches, with 27 wins, 22 draws and 35 defeats. What would change the AFCON story is a place in the knockout rounds, and in my opinion, a home crowd in Nairobi in 2027 gives Kenya its best opening yet to reach one.

Who Holds the Kenya National Team Records?

Musa Otieno made 90 appearances for Kenya between 1993 and 2009, the long standing benchmark for caps, and William Ouma scored 35 goals between 1965 and 1977, the mark every Kenyan striker since has chased. Dennis Oliech and Michael Olunga are the names closest to Ouma on the all time scoring list. Because Olunga's total can still change, the records module is the place to check the live count rather than any figure printed in an article. The same module tracks caps, so it will show the moment a current player moves past Otieno's 90.

Why Do the Harambee Stars Matter in Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana?

Uganda was Kenya's first ever opponent, in a one all draw in Nairobi on 1 May 1926, so Kenya's rivalry with the Uganda Cranes has roots in their first international in 1926. For readers in Kampala, the head to head module under any Kenya and Uganda fixture is the first thing to check, and the two neighbours now share the 2027 finals with Tanzania. Tanzania is the other regular opponent in the CECAFA story. With all three co-hosts on East Africa Time, a Harambee Stars match is easy viewing from Dar es Salaam to Kampala, and the rivalry feeds a good deal of the regional interest in the squad.

South Africa has two reasons to follow Kenya: Bafana Bafana were drawn in the same 2027 qualifying group, and Kenya appointed former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy as head coach in 2025, so a Bafana Bafana vs Kenya match carries a story beyond the score. In Ghana, the date that matters is 8 September 2018, when Kenya beat the four time African champions by a goal to nil. Nigerian fans follow Kenya as a fellow Africa Cup of Nations side, and a co-host playing in front of 60,000 in Nairobi is an opponent the Super Eagles and the Black Stars would both want to study closely.

Where Can You Watch Kenya, and How Do Fans Follow the Games?

The broadcaster and stream for each Kenya match are listed by country in the fixtures module, covering Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, because the rights change from one tournament and one window to the next. Use the results module to follow scores and the squad module to check selections. Whether you search for the Harambee Stars, the Kenya national team or simply Kenya, the same FKF squad list sits behind it. If you are watching from Lagos, Accra or Johannesburg, take the EAT time from the module, convert it with the kick-off table, and set your reminder in your own time zone.