Kenya have endured 17 months without a home match, but Harambee Stars finally return to Nyayo Stadium for a crucial World Cup qualifier.
Harambee Stars are finally set to play their first match in almost two years at home, when they host Gabon in the World Cup Qualifiers at the Nyayo Stadium in March.
Kenya fans will have the opportunity to watch their national team in action for the first time since September 12, 2023 – when Stars lost 1-0 in friendly match against South Sudan.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Athletics News in Kenya from Pulse Sports.
Since September 2023, Harambee Stars were barred from using Kenyan Stadia for failing to meet CAF standards, prompting their closure to pave way for renovations.
Since then, Kenya has gone ahead to play 21 matches in all competitions, including friendlies, AFCON and World Cup qualifiers without stepping foot on home soil according to Flashscore.
South African legend Benni McCarthy has reportedly decided on the men who will join his technical bench when he takes over as Harambee Stars coach.
During the World Cup qualifiers, Kenya picked Bingu Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi as their home ground for their Group F fixtures against Burundi and Ivory Coast.
In Malawi, Kenya started off with Burundi battling to a 1-1 draw before securing a 0-0 draw against the African champions. Before facing the Swallows, Kenya had played two away matches in the qualifiers – losing 2-1 against Gabon before recovering to hammer Seychelles 5-0.
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.
)
A number of Kenyan players have found success overseas but there are some who experienced chilling experiences abroad. Pulse Sports highlights some of them.
They hosted the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the opener drawing 0-0, before losing 4-1 to Cameroon. They then took their last home game against the Brave Warriors of Namibia to Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa, in a fixture that ended 0-0.
However, Kenya failed to qualify from the group as eventual group winners Cameroon and second-placed Zimbabwe grabbed the two available tickets for the 35th edition of the competition in the North African nation Morocco.
In between the World Cup and AFCON qualifiers, Kenya were involved in the qualification round of the 2024 CHAN competition, to be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, where they were pitted against South Sudan.
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.
After the government took the initiative to facelift both Kasarani and Nyayo Stadia that are on the tail-end of completion, perhaps it’s high time for Kenya to now enjoy watching live Harambee Stars on home soil.
The beckoning reality and painful experience of watching Kenya play their home matches away from home is soon going to be a thing of the past. Will this translate into better results at home?
