McCarthy Selects 20 Players for Back-to-Back Bafana Bafana Clashes

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy has announced his final 20-man squad for the upcoming back-to-back PAMOJA 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Bafana Bafana. The announcement sets the stage for an interesting international contest between McCarthy and his home country, with the former South African international hoping to lead the Harambee Stars to positive results.

McCarthy will face a Bafana team coached by Pitso Mosimane, who has enjoyed an encouraging start since taking charge of the national side. Mosimane will be eager to continue building momentum as South Africa prepares for the two encounters against Kenya.

Bafana have made a positive start under their new coach, recording three victories in their opening matches. South Africa began by defeating Guinea 2-1 before producing an impressive performance to beat Eritrea 5-0.

The national team then continued its winning run with a 1-0 victory in a friendly match played in Egypt. These results have given Mosimane confidence as he prepares for his next international assignments.

However, McCarthy will also be looking for an improved performance from his Kenyan team. The former Orlando Pirates striker has not yet recorded a victory in the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, despite Kenya already securing their place at next year’s tournament.

Kenya will participate in the continental competition as one of the co-hosting countries alongside Tanzania and Uganda. Their automatic qualification means they do not need to compete for one of the available places through the qualifying campaign.

Despite having already secured their ticket to the tournament, McCarthy will want his players to collect positive results and build confidence ahead of the competition.

The Harambee Stars have experienced a difficult start to their qualifying matches. They opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Guinea.

The two matches against South Africa will therefore provide McCarthy with an opportunity to assess his squad against stronger opposition and work on improving the team’s performances.

The Kenyan coach has now settled on his final 20-man selection for the double-header, with the players expected to carry the responsibility of representing their country against Bafana Bafana.

The first encounter will take place at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday, 13 November 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 18:00.

The two countries will then meet again in Kenya on Tuesday, 17 November, for the return fixture.

For South African supporters, the matches will also provide an opportunity to see how Mosimane’s team performs against another African opponent. With McCarthy leading the opposition, the double-header carries additional interest because of his history with South African football.

Both coaches will be hoping to use the encounters to strengthen their teams ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament.

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