Match day: Harambee Stars face Lesotho in 2027 AFCON qualifiers warm-up
By Joel Masibo, June 7, 2026Kenya’s Harambee Stars will face Lesotho for their second meeting between the sides in less than a week as Benni McCarthy’s charges continue fine-tuning for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2027) qualifiers on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, starting at 4:00 East African Time.
The sides shared spoils in the previous encounter on Thursday, June 4, 2026, a fixture that ended in a 1-1 stalemate at the same venue. Kenya had earlier been scheduled to face Palestine and Kyrgyzstan during the FIFA international window. However, the two matches were replaced, with the national team instead taking on Lesotho in a two-legged tie.
The changes also extended to the squad, with Job Ochieng, Ryan Ogam and Byrne Omondi missing out on the trip. In their place, Amos Nondi, Kelly Madada and Brian Bwire were called up to strengthen the squad for the two encounters.
The team reported to camp on Monday, June 1, 2026, where the players held a training session in the afternoon before departing to South Africa on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
The June international window will provide the technical bench with another opportunity to assess the team as Harambee Stars continue preparations for upcoming continental assignments.
McCarthy dissatisfied
Following the first leg match, head coach Benni McCarthy was left to rue a spate of lost chances following Kenya’s draw against Lesotho on Thursday, May 4, 2026, in South Africa.
Kenya let go of Frank Odhiambo’s early lead to draw the Likuena 1-1 in their first of back-to-back ties against the Southern African nation ranked 30 places below the East Africans.
Speaking after the match, the gaffer revealed that the team was in a good place, having assessed a number of the new players and debutants to the team towards the preparation for the 2027 African Cup of Nations games.
Debutants
“I am not entirely satisfied with the draw, but I am glad we gauged the young, inexperienced players making their debuts. We know each other now, and we hope to field a stronger, completely different team on Sunday,” he stated.
He also spoke on the goal that the Dutch-based debutant keeper Caleb Kramer conceded minutes after coming on for Faruk Shikalo. “Protecting a 1-0 lead requires caution. The fourth official signalled the substitution, but we wanted them to play out the phase first. The goalkeeper came on, and we immediately conceded; that was down to our inexperience. Otherwise, I am just happy the players got a runout after a long spell without competitive assessment,” he explained.