Harambee Stars will face Guinea today, Thursday, October 1, 2026, in their second Group D match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, with both sides searching for their first victory in the campaign.
The match will be played at the Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00pm Kenyan time.
Kenya enter the encounter after being held to a 1-1 draw by Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday.
Ryan Ogam rescued a point for Benni McCarthy’s side with a late equaliser after Eritrea had taken the lead.
Guinea are also looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in their opening Group D fixture.
The result left both Guinea and Kenya with one point heading into Thursday’s encounter, while South Africa moved to the top of the group.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has called for a more clinical performance from his players after Kenya created opportunities against Eritrea without converting enough of them.
McCarthy has also expressed confidence in his squad ahead of the difficult away assignment, saying Kenya will not be an easy opponent for Guinea.
The coach has had more preparation time with his players this week after the disrupted build-up to the Eritrea match.
Ryan Ogam is expected to lead Kenya’s attack again in the absence of captain Michael Olunga, who remains unavailable while recovering from injury.
Ogam comes into the match after scoring Kenya’s equaliser against Eritrea.
Tough test in Conakry
Guinea will have home advantage and possess several players competing at high levels in Europe.
Among them is Serhou Guirassy, the Borussia Dortmund striker who remains one of the main attacking threats for the Syli National.
The two nations have met eight times, with each side recording four victories.
Interestingly, none of those wins has come away from home, making Thursday’s contest another significant test for both teams.
Kenya have already secured their place at the 2027 AFCON finals as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
Nevertheless, McCarthy is using the qualifiers to give his team competitive matches and prepare the squad for next year’s continental tournament.
