The country’s national team is set to host three crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier matches in September at Kasarani Stadium and Nyayo National Stadium, both in Nairobi, but two of those will be held at the former in quick succession.

World football governing body FIFA’s official website indicates that Harambee Stars will kick off their home fixtures against The Gambia on Friday, September 5, at Kasarani Stadium, with the match scheduled for 4:00 pm.

Kenya will then return to the same venue on Tuesday, September 9, to face Seychelles, also in a 4:00 pm kick-off. That same day, Nyayo National Stadium will stage a Group F encounter between The Gambia and Burundi, with the intriguing bit of a late kick-off at 10:00 pm under the floodlights.

Following their September home matches, part of the first international break of the 2025/26 season, Kenya will conclude the group stage with away fixtures against Burundi on Monday, October 6, and Ivory Coast on Monday, October 13.

Regarding CHAN, the Niger vs Algeria clash on Monday, August 18, marked the final international fixture at Nyayo Stadium ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Since the semi-finals are scheduled to be held outside Kenya, regardless of Harambee Stars’ progress, Kasarani’s Moi International Sports Centre will stage just two more games—the Kenya vs Madagascar quarter-final and the tournament’s grand final.

Harambee Stars are currently placed fourth in Group F with six points, behind leaders Ivory Coast, who sit comfortably on 16 points.

Kenya’s run so far has yielded one emphatic win—a 5-0 thrashing of Seychelles—alongside three draws against Burundi (1-1), Ivory Coast (0-0), and Gambia (3-3). Their setbacks came in successive 2-1 defeats to Gabon, both at home and away.

The next round of fixtures presents a major challenge for head coach Benni McCarthy, who is still chasing his first FIFA World Cup qualifying victory since taking charge of the national team. Since stepping in, McCarthy has overseen two games: a dramatic 3-3 draw with Gambia and a narrow 2-1 loss to Gabon at Nyayo Stadium.

Drawn in Group F, Kenya will be battling to climb the table and keep alive their historic bid to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the very first time.

The 23rd edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place across three North American nations—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Harambee Stars have been in brilliant form in CHAN 2024, going into Friday’s quarter-final against Madagascar.

Whereas this tournament has purely featured players from the local leagues, the upcoming qualifiers may see fans witnessing the returns of the likes of Michael Olunga and Mohammed Bajaber, among others, who have been shining in leagues abroad.