OPINION

Harambee Stars Break into Top 110 in Latest FIFA Rankings

  • 2 min read
Harambee Stars Break into Top 110 in Latest FIFA Rankings

Kenya’s national football team, Harambee Stars, has climbed to position 109 in the latest FIFA world rankings, moving two spots up from last month’s standings.

The new rankings, released on Thursday, reflect the team’s recent efforts on the pitch—most notably, their back-to-back friendly matches against Chad in Morocco last month.

The Stars drew the first game 0-0 before edging Chad 2-1 in the second encounter, a result that marked head coach Benni McCarthy’s first win in charge of the team.

Newcomer Emmanuel Osoro scored his debut goal to give Kenya an early lead, with David Sakwa adding a second just before the break. Although Chad managed to pull one back in the second half, Kenya held on to secure a morale-boosting win.

The upward movement in the global rankings is seen as a positive step for the Harambee Stars as they continue their journey under McCarthy’s leadership. On the African continent, Kenya is now ranked 24th, while in the East African region, they sit third behind Tanzania and Uganda.

The improved ranking comes at a crucial time for Kenya, who begin their CHAN 2024 training camp today in preparation for next month’s tournament. Set to take place across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, CHAN features national teams made up entirely of home-based players.

Kenya has been drawn into a challenging group alongside DR Congo, Angola, Morocco, and Zambia. They kick off their campaign with a match against DR Congo before facing Angola on Thursday, August 7, at 7:00pm—marking their first home match under floodlights in over ten years.

The Stars will then take on Morocco, one of Africa’s highest-ranked teams, on Sunday, August 10, and conclude their group stage fixtures against Zambia on August 17.

With continental giants like Morocco (ranked 12th), Senegal (18th), and Egypt (34th) setting the pace in Africa, Kenya’s steady rise is a sign of renewed hope. McCarthy’s mission to revive the team is beginning to show promise—and the climb in the rankings is just the beginning.