The historic African Nations Championship concluded on Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Kasarani as Morocco bagged the ultimate honours with a win over Madagascar.

For Benni McCarthy and Kenya’s Harambee Stars, focus now shifts to World Cup qualifiers in what heralds little in terms of rest ahead of a new challenge.

Shift to WC

In their roster, Kenya is set to face back-to-back ties against The Gambia and Seychelles, with Friday, September 5, 2025, seeing Gambia coming to town for the return leg tie.

Ahead of the WC ties, McCarthy opted to keep faith in the spine of the CHAN squad, signaling his intention to build on the performance witnessed in the team’s historic run en route to its quarterfinals exit against Madagascar.

For McCarthy, the clashes mark a return to where his most important focus has been. The coach admitted that leading Kenya to the World Cup remains an achievable task while taking over the reins of the team early in the year.

The former Bafana Bafana talisman, on his unveiling, expressly stated that a maiden qualification to the global competitions was one of his targets.

“I’m looking forward to putting my experience into practice and bringing success to Kenyan football. With the right mentality, we can achieve our targets and make it to the World Cup. We want to win every point available to us. It will not say it is easy, but it is also not impossible,” he stated.

McCarthy’s last qualifier ended in a morale-boosting 3-3 draw against Gambia, and Kenya will be out to shore up their chances for a maiden appearance at the global event.

World Cup prospect

Ahead of the decisive games, Kenya is ranked fourth in the six-team Group F, and the coach had admittedly stated that all could not be lost in terms of recouping the lost time.

After six rounds of fixtures, Kenya is currently ranked fourth in the group with six points, two ahead of Gambia. Ivory Coast tops the group proceedings on 16 points, Gabon come second with 15, and Burundi have 10.

“With four games already gone and we didn’t get maximum points, it put you on the back foot, but we try to make the most of the remaining games and see how it goes. The chances for qualifying are slim. We are, however, hopeful. We have 12 points to play for, but it all depends on what Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Burundi do, who are all ahead of us,” he stated.

McCarthy has been credited with turning the team on a new leaf, breathing a fresh sense of belief among players and optimism sweeping across Kenya fans after his charges’ display at the CHAN games.

He, however, has a fresh task on his hand to prove that his charges have been as good as their last match.

For the players, the local-based contingent, the challenge is to prove their mettle at a more elevated stage alongside the foreign-based stars.

It remains to be seen how the coach and team will face the next phase of the challenge against a different opposition and requiring new demands.