Kenya's #14 forward Michael Olunga. All pics taken from Kenyan men's national football team's official social media.
Nairobi: Kenya continues its quest to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals on Sunday when it hosts Gabon in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, in its first international home game in four years.
The team, known as Harambee Stars, battled back from going 2-0 and then 3-2 down to draw 3-3 with Gambia in the neutral venue of Cote d'Ivoire on Thursday.
It was the first match in charge for head coach Benni McCarthy, the retired South African international and former UEFA Champions League winner.
The result left Stars fourth in Group F of the CAF qualifiers with six points, seven behind leader and African champion Cote d'Ivoire.
Sunday's opponent, Gabon, is second with 12 points, while Burundi is third with seven.
Optimism is riding high that McCarthy's men can notch their second win of the group against Gabon, with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announcing on Saturday that tickets had sold out.
The match will be played at the refurbished Nyayo National Stadium, with Kenya having been forced to play its home World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in neutral venues since 2021 due to the lack of a Confederation of African Football (CAF)-approved stadium.
"The team character and spirit was good, and this is what the coach told us and instilled in us. Each player is important, and whoever gets a chance to play needs to be of the same mindset. This was evident in the last game," team captain Michael Olunga said upon arrival at the airport from Cote d'Ivoire.
Kenya has never played in a senior World Cup, but McCarthy noted that Thursday's result gave the East African nation hope.
"Overall, a draw doesn't help either team, but I will take it as my first game in charge, happy with the point after a few days as coach of the Kenya national team," the ex-FC Porto star said.
"The positivity I see gives me a bit of hope that after another day or two of training we can squeeze in before the game against Gabon, it gives me hope we can go one step better than today," the coach added after the Gambia draw.
Gabon beat Kenya 2-1 in the opening leg of their qualifier in November last year.
