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Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has explained why his charges must not only qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations but also reach the knockouts, having gotten their campaign off to a good start.
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has made it clear that qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco is an absolute necessity, especially as the team builds towards the 2027 edition of the tournament, which Kenya will co-host.
In a determined statement, Firat stressed the importance of not only qualifying but also advancing beyond the group stages—something Kenya has never achieved in its footballing history.
In September 2023, Kenya, alongside East African neighbours Tanzania and Uganda, was awarded the bid to co-host AFCON 2027, marking the first time the prestigious tournament will be held in the region.
Firat views the upcoming 2025 tournament as a vital stepping stone for the Harambee Stars, who are setting their sights on making history and establishing themselves as a force on the continental stage.
Firat, speaking during a press conference held last November ahead of Kenya's return to competitive action in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, was candid about the team’s expectations.
“The World Cup qualifiers is a big task because we have really big teams and only one can go up,” Firat acknowledged, highlighting the enormity of the challenge Kenya faces in its World Cup qualification group.
However, the coach was quick to shift focus to AFCON, where he believes the Stars have a much stronger chance of making an impact.
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15:27 - 13.09.2024
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“AFCON looks different because normally you have only four teams in the group and two go up, so therefore the next AFCON 25’ is in my eyes a must (to qualify),”
Firat emphasised. His message to the team was equally resolute: “What I have said to the boys is that they must not just go like it was always, we should also go out of the group.”
Kenya’s AFCON campaign received a major boost with a crucial 2-1 victory over Namibia in a 2025 qualifier at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The win saw Harambee Stars climb to joint-top of Group J, level on points with Cameroon. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe in Kampala has left the group finely poised, with the final rounds of qualifiers in October and November set to determine Kenya's fate.
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“We have never done it in the history to go out of the group, and it will also be a good sign for everybody for the next AFCON at home,” Firat noted.
“If we are able to make it out of the group, we can also even achieve great things with the minds of the players at the AFCON at home here in Kenya.”
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