Ahead of the match, confusion arose over the kick-off time after the CAF official website listed the game as starting at 8 p.m. Flash score platforms indicated the same, however, Mookh retained their kickoff times for 3 pm as indicated on their official ticketing website.

As of Tuesday, August 12, Harambee Stars on their official social media handles confirmed that the kickoff time was at 3 pm. Our spot checks on the CAF official website showed the times were changed to 3 pm on Sunday.

Kenya’s final group fixture will run simultaneously with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) clash against Morocco at Nyayo National Stadium.

In most tournaments, final group-stage games are scheduled at the same time to reduce the risk of match-fixing, ensuring teams have minimal to no knowledge of how results in the other match could affect their chances.

Harambee Stars sit atop Group A, viewed by many as the ‘Group of Death’. In it are DRC, Angola, two-time CHAN winners Morocco and Zambia, with Kenya securing impressive results against the first three teams: two 1-0 wins and a 1-1 draw.

Kenya needs to win against Zambia to have a chance of mathematically winning the group, as Morocco and DR Congo still have to play their third game this week. Wins for both would take them to six points, one behind Kenya, but DR Congo have to play Angola, who sit on four points, and a win for Angola would bring them level on points with Kenya.

Angola don’t play on the final day on Sunday, meaning a win for Morocco against DR Congo would mean that Angola miss out on quarter-final qualification. To win the group, Morocco has to beat DR Congo and hope that Kenya slips up against Zambia.

Standings provided by Sofascore

This makes the Zambia match for Kenya a must-win. Anything otherwise would see them surrender top spot, a matter which would deny them a chance to play their quarter finals at the Kasarani Stadium on Friday, August 22.

Interestingly, this could see them clash with Tanzania in Dar es Salaam. The Taifa Stars have already qualified for the knockout stages and are on red-hot form themselves in the group stage, securing three wins out of three games in Group B to secure qualification in the knockout stages.

Kenya has so far played three matches at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani — against the DRC, Angola, and Morocco — all kicking off at 3 p.m.

Each of the Harambee Stars’ first three fixtures drew crowds of over 40,000, but the upcoming game against Zambia will see reduced attendance after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) capped spectator numbers at 27,000, representing 60 percent of the stadium’s capacity; a determining matter in their next match up as the energy from the fans has helped them produce outstanding results.

“Entry strictly limited to electronic ticket holders; thermal tickets prohibited. LOC and government to launch a public media campaign reinforcing safety protocols and entry requirements,” a statement from CAF read. 

To manage the overwhelming excitement, the FKF revealed plans to set up fan zones across various city locations for supporters who missed out on tickets but still want the stadium-like atmosphere for the Kenya-Zambia match.

Those attending the game at Kasarani are advised to get there at least five hours before kick-off, meaning fans should be seated by 10 a.m. ahead of the 3 p.m. start.