Benni McCarthy has said Kenya can “surprise a lot of people” by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after being appointed as the country’s new head coach.
The South African has signed a two-year deal that will see him lead the Harambee Stars up to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations – a tournament which will be held on home soil in East Africa, with Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda co-hosting.
McCarthy, 47, replaces interim coach Francis Kimanzi, who has been in charge since Turkish coach Engin Firat stepped down at the end of last year.
His first games will be this month’s World Cup qualifiers away in The Gambia and at home against Gabon.
“Participating in the World Cup, it is one of the most special feelings in the world and I want to give them that,” McCarthy told BBC Sport Africa.
“With the right mindset and dedication from the players, and the willingness to learn and willingness to give everything they’ve got for the course, I think we can surprise a lot of people by still qualifying for the World Cup.”
Kenya are currently fourth out of six teams in Group F with five points from four games – five points behind leaders Ivory Coast.
Only the group winners qualify automatically for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA. The four best runners-up from the nine groups will have a second chance via the play-offs.
McCarthy, who is South Africa’s all-time record goalscorer, represented his nation at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but Kenya have never qualified for the competition.
