Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy believes the Harambee Stars could need as long as a decade to build a team capable of genuinely challenging for the Africa Cup of Nations title.
McCarthy has offered a frank assessment of Kenya’s current position in African football as he prepares the national team for their upcoming Group D qualifying double-header against South Africa in November.
The former Manchester United attacking coach believes Kenya currently lack the resources and squad depth to compete consistently with established continental powers such as Morocco, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.
“Even if you were to pay me millions and millions of dollars to win AFCON, I don’t think Kenya has the resources and the team strong enough to compete with Morocco, Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal,” McCarthy said.
The South African stressed that his assessment was not intended as criticism of Kenyan football, but as an honest reflection of the gap between the Harambee Stars and the continent’s leading national teams.
“Kenya can win AFCON, but it’s highly unlikely we would have a chance to win. I’m not disrespecting anybody. I’m just being honest,” he added.
McCarthy believes the immediate priority should be Kenya’s role as co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The tournament will give Kenya an opportunity to showcase its football infrastructure while providing a platform to accelerate the development of the national team and the wider game.
“For us, the main objective is to host the tournament and make sure that the AFCON is a big success for Kenya, for Tanzania, and for Uganda,” McCarthy said.
The coach believes the experience of hosting the continental tournament can form part of a longer-term development plan for Kenyan football.
Rather than expecting an immediate challenge for the AFCON title, McCarthy sees the next several years as an opportunity to strengthen the country’s football structures, improve the squad and gradually close the gap with Africa’s leading teams.
The Harambee Stars will first turn their attention to the November qualifiers against South Africa, while Kenya’s broader ambition remains to use the 2027 tournament as a foundation for sustained growth.
For McCarthy, becoming genuine AFCON contenders is therefore a long-term project rather than an immediate objective.
