Kenya’s Harambee Stars, the national men’s soccer team has been pooled alongside two times AFCON champions Ivory Coast ahead of 2026 Fifa World Cup preliminary qualifiers.
The draw that was conducted today in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Engin Firat side will also face Gabon, the Gambia, Burundi and the Seychelles in pool F where nine pools were made for with the teams set to face off in home and away format.
The winner will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup that will be held jointly between the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The four best runners up will compete at the CAF playoffs tournament with the winner competing the fifa pay-off tournament where the 2026 tournament will have an increased number of teams from 32 to 48.
The qualifying matches will kick off in November 2023.
Full Draw
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Congo DR, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan
Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius
Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome
Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad.