Benni McCarthy's Harambee Stars Eye FIFA Series Upset Against Estonia

Kenya's chance to shine against European opponents

Kenya's national team prepares to face Estonia in the FIFA Series, with coach Benni McCarthy highlighting the tournament's importance for AFCON 2027 preparations.

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania join forces to host the 36th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027...

Benni McCarthy knows the FIFA Series is a big deal for Kenya, and he's hyping up the Harambee Stars as they take on Estonia in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday.

Their next match depends on how Rwanda vs Grenada goes – Kenya's second game hangs in the balance.

The 2026 FIFA Series is a big deal for Kenya – it's a chance to play teams from different continents and test their skills. The tournament's second edition features friendly matches between national teams from around the world.

Kenya's getting a unique opportunity to face tough opponents and gain experience. The tournament format's straightforward: winners of Match 1 and Match 2 face off, while the losers play each other.

The FIFA Council gave the thumbs up to the FIFA Series in Dec 2022, aligning it with FIFA's Global Game Strategic Objectives for 2023-27. This tournament's part of FIFA's big plans to boost football globally.

The 2026 FIFA Series is gonna be huge – 48 teams, almost a quarter of FIFA's 211 members, competing in 12 groups of four. That's a lot of football.

Benni McCarthy reckons the FIFA Series is a massive opportunity for Kenya, and he's highlighting its importance as they prep for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The match against Estonia is a big step in their build-up.

FIFA Series: A Game-Changer for Kenya's Football Ambitions

“It is a really great initiative from FIFA because it allows us, African countries, a unique opportunity to play against other federations, but not just other federations, but against European opposition and Caribbean opposition,” said McCarthy as quoted by SportPesa Blog.

“So, it is really great for our players to test skills and levels in terms of where we are in preparations and where we are as a country.”

McCarthy added: “When you play against these European teams, for me specifically against Estonia, whose last three matches were against Cyprus, Norway, and Italy in the World Cup qualifiers, it is a nice test for us.

“I hope the boys are excited for this challenge and they will try and play and do the best they can and see how far apart we are from Europe because when you watch World Cup qualifiers for the European teams, you always think your level is not close to that.

“Now we have an opportunity to test ourselves against a good European side, so it will be interesting but also a very good challenge for the players that we have.”

Ready to Rumble: East Africa Preps for AFCON 2027 

Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will host the 36th edition of the African football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from June 19th to July 18th.

“The second thing is that it is a learning process. We are preparing for AFCON 2027 and you are not expecting your team to be winning every single game,” added McCarthy.

“For me it is about being ready to compete, ready to learn, and ready to improve from where we were last time. Whatever success we have experienced, we just want to be here, learn, and improve.

“Hopefully when AFCON 2027 comes, all this experience that we have gained from playing in matches like the FIFA Series and other upcoming international friendlies, we will have grown together as a team and as individuals.”

McCarthy concluded: “When 2027 comes, that is when I want to hear my team saying we are targeting to win three out of four group stage games and qualify for the next stages. But for now, it is all about improving, getting better and learning from every experience we encounter.”

The 2027 AFCON will make history as the first tournament hosted by three countries – Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It's also the first time in 50 years that the CECAFA region will host, since Ethiopia back in '76.