The Kenya men’s national team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but could they make their debut in the 2026 edition to be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico? We will discuss their chances in this article today.
You see, Kenya is one of the biggest and most vibrant footballing nations in East Africa. The country has produced some real footballing stars like former Girona striker Michael Olunga and former Spurs midfielder Victor Wanyama. The country also boasts very passionate fans, so it’s no surprise that there are a healthy number of betting companies in Kenya who are serving a host of sports betting enthusiasts in the country.
But can the national team really make the country proud and secure a ticket to America next summer for the biggest football showdown?
Well, to be honest, it will be very difficult, but not impossible. They are currently 4th in Group F, 5 points off the top spot, but the good news is that there are still 6 games to go. Since the opening game of the qualifiers, Kenya have not lost a single game. They beat Seychelles 5-nil and managed to hold defending AFCON champions Cöte d’Ivoire to a goalless draw, so they can actually play.
What the team should now be focusing on is making sure they beat Gambia home and away. And that is very achievable considering Gambia have lost 3 of the 4 qualifying games they’ve played so far.
If Kenya can get 6 points from that fixture and an extra 3 in the return leg against Seychelles in September, then they could really begin to dream.
They also need to make sure that they exact revenge on Gabon when they welcome them to Kenya, and then, on the last day when they play group leaders Côte d’Ivoire, they could give it their all, hoping the African champions would have dropped points in previous games.
Again, it will be really tight, but it is definitely not impossible. All hope is certainly not lost yet.
As you know, only the team who sits at the top of the table after all the qualifying games have been played will secure an automatic ticket to the World Cup, so that will obviously be Kenya’s target. But if they can’t knock Côte d’Ivoire off top spot, second place still keeps them alive.
The team in second place has a chance to advance to the next round where they compete with teams who finished second in other groups for a chance to represent CAF in the inter-confederation playoffs.
It is surely a much more tumultuous route, but it is mathematically possible for Kenya to reach the World Cup via that route.
Essentially, although it is currently looking very difficult, it is possible for the Harambee Stars to make their World Cup debut in 2026. They will just have to try to win every one of their remaining qualifying games to give themselves a proper fighting chance, and it all begins in March.