Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about being tempted to select an exclusively local-based team for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers games set to begin this Friday, September 5, 2025.

Speaking on Monday, September 1, 2025, ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier clashes in Kasarani against The Gambia and Seychelles, McCarthy admitted to facing a huge selection headache before arriving at his new call-ups for the upcoming campaign.

He, however, stated that the move would be unfair for the foreign-based stars who have been putting in hard work abroad and merited their call-up.

“It is always difficult to make a selection of players, especially after the amazing run in CHAN. I still regret going out in the quarters against Madagascar. I think it was the effort that we put in; the boys did incredibly well,” he opined.

Tempted

“I was very tempted to select everybody from the CHAN squad for the international games. Though it would be unfair for the European-based players. They deserve their chances as Kenyans, having done the best they can for their clubs. They also expect to be selected to be part of the national team when they perform, so I had to balance the books,” he stated.

The coach provided an update on players who will miss the match due to injuries. in his latest update, the coach revealed that Erick Ouma Marcelo and Amos Nondi will miss out with Achilles tendon injuries, while France-based Joseph Okumu is also sidelined with a ruptured ligament.

“We have been hampered by unfortunate injuries lately. Jonah Ayunga played recently, but his club representatives revealed he was playing through injections and so will miss out to complete his recovery and be fully fit. Hopefully, we will have him back soon,” he stated.

In his latest roster, McCarthy handed a debut to Spain-based Job Ochieng, who plies his trade with the Real Sociedad B team.

McCarthy’s recent call-up

In defence, Collins Sichenje of AFC Leopards and Norway-based right back Rooney Onyango earned the nod.

Harambee Stars talisman Michael Olunga highlighted the foreign-based contingent.

The Saudi-based star is joined by Richard Odada, Timothy Ouma, who plies his trade with Slavia Prague, and Duke Abuya of Tanzanian giants Yanga SC.

McCarthy’s offensive line has seen Australian-based Wilson Lenkupae earn a second straight call-up. The Central Coast Mariners attacker marked his national team debut earlier this year after being called by the new Stars coach.

Lenkupae joined Emmanuel Osoro, who recently earned a move to Zambia’s top-tier team, Power Dynamos, from FC Talanta.