Kenya’s football national team, Harambee Stars, has landed yet another high-profile friendly match, with the team now set to face Russia on October 16.
Harambee Stars will play the 2018 World Cup hosts in Turkey as they seek to step up their preparations for the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers that begin in November.
It will be the third time in a year that Kenya is facing a nation ranked way above her following friendly games against Iran and Qatar. They fell to the former 2-1 in March before beating the 2022 World Cup hosts this month by a similar scoreline in Al Wakrah.
The win in Al Wakrah was, however, watered down after they lost to minnows South Sudan days later on home soil.
Harambee Stars will face the Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Seychelles and Burundi, with only one team gaining automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
However, it comes at a time when Kenya was confirmed as the host of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Kenya’s joint bid with Uganda and Tanzania emerged successful, beating the likes of Senegal, Zambia and Egypt to the hosting rights.
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