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The two initial friendlies against Burundi have been cancelled.
Asia’s best-ranked football nation is set to lock horns with Harambee Stars after Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on Wednesday confirmed the exhibition match against Iran.
The friendly is slated for Tuesday 28 March at Iran’s capital Tehran which will mark the first match for Harambee Stars in 498 days since beating Rwanda 2-1 in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Kenya was initially slated to face Burundi on Saturday 25 and Tuesday 28 March in two friendlies but the latter opted out after securing friendlies against Indonesia.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat emphasized on the importance of playing top ranked nations in friendly matches which will come in handy during the World Cup qualifiers.
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“Iran is a world-class team, ranked #1 in Asia. Playing a tough opponent is a chance to push our players to the maximum, to make them familiar with high-level football and show the difference between where we are and where want to be.
Playing against world-class teams frequently will help us to be ready at the important moment when we play World Cup qualifiers. We can play weaker teams and get easy victories but this will not help us at the important moment,” said Firat.
The provisional squad which is expected to be named in due time will enter camp on the 17th of March with the final squad set to travel to Tehran on Sunday 26 March.
According to the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday 22 December, Iran is ranked 24th in the world and number one in the Asia Football Confederation.
Iran qualified for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup where they finished third in a group compromising of Wales, England, and the United States of America.
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