Omalla included as Firat names final Harambee Stars squad
14th November 2023
Kenya will be facing Gabon and Seychelles in their two opening 2026 FIFA World Cup games.
- The Harambee Stars begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
- They will first play away against Gabon on Thursday 16 and then against Seychelles on Monday 20 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
- Kenya are in Group F alongside Ivory Coast, Gabon, Burundi, Seychelles and Gambia.
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has named the final squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and Seychelles.
A notable inclusion in the squad is Dennis Ng’ang’a who received a late call up to replace an injured Joseph Okumu who sustained a knock in his last match for his club. The former Chemelil Sugar player picked up the knock in Stade Reims’ French Ligue 1 match against PSG.
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Benson Omalla, who is the current top scorer in the 23/24 Football Kenya Federation Premier League with seven goals in 11 matches, also makes it to the final squad alongside Haniff Wesonga and Nabi Kibunguchy, who recently earned their maiden call-ups to the national team.
SportPesa News exclusively confirmed that Gor Mahia left back Geoffrey Onyango, popularly known as Simiti, Kakamega Homeboyz forward Moses Shummah and Murang’a Seals youngster Eric Balecho were the players dropped from the initial 28-man squad.
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The team departs to Gabon on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at 8 am EAT, and is expected to arrive at 1 pm EAT.
Stars will face off with Gabon in the first of the qualifiers on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at the Stade de la Rénovation de Franceville starting at 7 pm EAT.
The team will then depart to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Friday ahead of the second match of the qualifiers against Seychelles. The match is slated for Monday, November 20, 2023, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
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Kenya has been drawn in Group F of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles.
Final Squad
Goalkeepers
Patrick Matasi, Joseph Ochuka, Ian Otieno
Defenders
Nabi Kibunguchy, Haniff Wesonga, Daniel Sakari, Dennis Nganga, Johnstone Omurwa, Abud Omar, Amos Nondi, Eric Ouma
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Midfielders
Ayub Masika, Alfred Scriven, Duke Abuya, Rooney Onyango, Duncan Otieno, Richard Odada, Kenneth Muguna, Anthony Akumu, Timothy Ouma, Eric Johanna
Forwards
Masud Juma, Michael Olunga, Benson Omala