Benni McCarthy: I cannot win AFCON title for Kenya even if I am offered millions of dollars

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy says Harambee Stars do not currently have the resources or squad depth to compete for the Africa Cup of Nations title, even if he were offered millions of dollars to achieve the feat.

Kenya will automatically qualify for the 2027 AFCON as one of the three co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

However, the East African side is still taking part in the qualifying campaign and opened their Group E programme with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea before losing 1-0 to Guinea in Conakry.

McCarthy, who previously worked as an assistant coach at Manchester United, believes Kenya are some way behind the continent’s leading football nations.

“Even if you were to pay me millions and millions of dollars to win the AFCON, I don’t think Kenya has the resources and a team strong enough to compete with Morocco, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Senegal,” said the South African.

“Those are powerhouses. Guinea can also compete for the AFCON title. We know they have fantastic players. Those are the powerhouses in African football.

“So, for us to think that Kenya could win the AFCON, it is not impossible, but it is highly likely that we will not make it.”

McCarthy also pointed to the disparity in the quality of players available to Kenya compared with some of Africa’s top nations.

“Kenya is a very small nation when it comes to football. We’re not the biggest nation,” he said.

“When you have teams like South Africa and Guinea, who have so many players who play in the top leagues in the world… and then you have Kenya, we are a very humble team.

“If people are expecting me to beat Bafana, to beat Morocco, to beat Senegal, it’s very hard. It’s an almost impossible task because of the players those countries have and the leagues they play in.”

League delay a concern

McCarthy is also concerned that the delayed start to Kenya’s 2026-27 SportPesa Premier League could leave his squad short of match fitness ahead of the AFCON.

Kenya drew 0-0 with Rwanda in a friendly after their opening two qualifying matches, with McCarthy highlighting the lack of competitive football among his domestic-based players.

“People are calling for Kenyan players, but the league has not even started,” he said.

“None of the players in Kenya has played a single league match.

“Hopefully, by the time AFCON comes, with all the matches and all the experience that we’ve achieved, that would have given us a little bit of a bigger platform to compete at the highest level.”

Kenya have appeared at the AFCON six times, in 1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004 and 2019, but have never progressed beyond the group stage.

Their first AFCON victory came in 2004, when they beat Burkina Faso 3-0.

Kenya’s best result in a major continental competition remains their silver medal at the 1987 All-Africa Games, which they hosted in Nairobi.