Kenya begin AFCON 2027 qualifying against ambitious Eritrea

Kenya start their qualification campaign for the 2027 CAF Africa Cup of Nations against Eritrea at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Saturday, 26 September 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 13:00 GMT.

The hosts go into the opening fixture as favourites after recently recording a convincing 4-0 victory over Lesotho. That result came after Kenya had been held to a 1-1 draw by the same southern African opponents in June.

Kenya have remained unbeaten in their four matches during the calendar year. Their results in March included a draw with Estonia and a victory over Grenada.

Eritrea’s route back into competitive football has been less straightforward. The team withdrew from the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers but returned to action earlier this year and have since registered several victories.

Their most recent success came in the preliminary round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition, where Eritrea defeated Eswatini 4-1 on aggregate over the two legs.

That experience will give Eritrea confidence ahead of their meeting with Kenya, and they are expected to provide a determined challenge in Nairobi. However, Kenya remain the stronger side on paper and enter the match as the clear favourites.