Kenya national team captain Michael Olunga believes Harambee Stars can still make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite their current position in Group F of the African qualifiers.

Out of four matches played, Harambee Stars currently placed fourth in the six-team group with five points, five fewer than leaders Ivory Coast, who have garnered 10 points. Gabon is second with nine points while Burundi is third with sevenpoints.

Kenya’s journey in the qualifying campaign started with a 2-1 defeat against Gabon at Stade de Franceville on November 16, 2023, before they recovered to hammer Seychelles 5-0. Match Day Three saw them come up against Burundi and secure a 1-1 draw before they forced African champions Ivory Coast to a 0-0 draw.

According to Olunga, who currently turns out for Qatar Stars League outfit Al Duhail SC, all is not lost for Kenyans as they still have a chance to qualify for their first-ever World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, next year.

Olunga said the arrival of Benni McCarthy as the new coach for the national team, and the high level of management reforms being put in place by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) office led by President Hussein Mohammed, could go a long way in helping the team register good results in the qualifiers.

“We have a new coach, and he believes in players, he called up a good number to the squad and everybody is just looking forward to the two fixtures. We know the group is still open and we face a tough game, but we don’t have to give up because anything is possible. We have to go and fight,” Olunga told Flashscore.

“First of all we aregoing to face Gambia away and we know they are a team which is coming up in Africa and they also have a good squad, so it is going to be agood encounter to go and showcase our worth.”

Olunga, who scored in a brace in Kenya’s 5-0 demolition of Seychelles in their Match Day Two fixture of the qualifiers, continued: “Everybody has reported to camp and the mood is quite amazing, everybody is looking forward to the first assignment which is Gabon and Gambia.

“We just want to thank the new Federation starting with President Hussein (Mohammed), and our able Vice-President Macdonald (Mariga) for making a good peaceful environment for the players to come to camp, train, and perform.”

On facing Gambia, who are managed by former Kenyan Premier League champions GorMahia coach Jonathan McKinstry, the former Kashiwa Reysol and Girona FC player said: “But first things first, we have to go to Ivory Coast and play Gambia, we just want to go out there and give our level best.

“Of course, it is a new start, it is a new federation, it is a new coach, and you know, dynamics are quite different but we have to be patient with the team, we have to adapt to what the new coach wants us to do, we have to adapt to the new style of play that the coach wants us to play, so it is going to be a really good challenge and we are anticipating and looking forward to what this young Kenyan team can achieve and hopefully, we can go and post positive results.”

The former Gor Mahia striker took his time to hail the Kenyan government for availing the 30,000-seater Nyayo Stadium for their Datch Day Six fixture against Gabon on Sunday, March 23rd.

Following the renovation work that has been going on at Nyayo and Kasarani stadiums, Harambee Stars were barred from using the venues.

The last time Kenya played a fixture on their home soil was on September 12, 2023, a friendly that they lost 1-0 against South Sudan.
Since then, Kenya has played 21 matches in all competitions, including friendlies, AFCON, CHAN, and World Cup qualifiers without stepping foot on home ground. During the World Cup qualifiers, Kenya picked Bingu Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi. as their home ground for their fixtures against Burundi and IvoryCoast.

Then came the AFCON qualifiers, and Kenya, who were pooled in Group J alongside Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Namibia, opted to take their home fixture to Uganda at Nelson Mandela Stadium. In between the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers, Kenya was involved in the qualification round of the 2024 CHAN competition, to be co-hosted byUganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where they were pitted against SouthSudan.

The first leg meeting was played in Juba at the Juba National Stadium, where the Bright Stars registered a 2-0 win with Kenya once again taking their home game to Uganda, where they managed a 1-1 draw to lose the battle 3-1 on aggregate.

“I want to thank the Kenyan government, that finally we are going to play at home, it will be our first game in nearly two years at home, we will definitely be looking forward to this fixture,” offered the soft-speaking Olunga.

“I urge the fans to turn out in large numbers on Sunday against Gabon, they need to come and give us the 12th man support,” he said.

He added: “As we embark on our journey to Ivory Coast on a chartered plane, the players’ welfare is being taken care of and we believe that the future is very bright and hopefully with good preparations, with hard work, and God on our side, we are going to post good results in the two encounters.”

Olunga, who has so far scored 11 goals for Duhail in the league from 15 matches and provided two assists, praised McCarthy for giving local-based players an opportunity to have a feel of the national team while naming his provisional squad for the two qualifiers.

He further urged players, who had been summoned butmissed out on the final list to keep their heads up and continue towork hard as the door was always open for any players to come and play for the national team.

“It is very positive to see young players making it to the final squad, and we have a crop of young players, especially, those, who are playing in the local league, and it is good to see that they are being integrated into the senior team at an early stage, at an early level, it is very important for them,” explained Olunga, who began his career with the Liberty Sports Academy in the Nairobi County League at a very young age.”

“Also not forgetting this year Kenya will host CHAN, so we need each player to be tested at the high level of the national team because sometimes the club level and the national team, are two different setups that these players need to have a feel and you know, it is a stage where most of them they come and need to harden themselves, and they need to grow.”

Olunga, who made his debut for Kenya in a friendly against Seychelles at theStade Linité in Victoria on March 28th, 2015, concluded: “It is very positive to see the coach made quite all-inclusive team, especially the provisional team and now to the final squad, even those, that didn’t manage to make it to the final squad, it is an open gate to everybody.

“They should not give up, but they should just go and continue working hard at their club level and hopefully they will be rewarded in the next call-up or even in the final squad for the next assignment.”

The fixture between Gambia’s Scorpion and Harambee Stars will be played on Thursday, March 20th at Alassane Ouattara Ebimpe Olympic Stadium.