According to Football Kenya Federation (FKF), Kenya, who were earlier scheduled to face Palestine and Kyrgyzstan during the FIFA international window, will now take on Lesotho in a two-legged tie.
The revised fixtures will both be played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa, as Harambee Stars continue preparations and build-up activities during the international break.
The first game will be played on Thursday, June 4th, at 4pm (EAT), with the final game set for Sunday, June 7th, also at 4 (EAT).
McCarthy versus Mafoso
The clashes between the East and Southern African nations will pit two of COSAFA’s youngest national team coaches against each other: Kenya’s Benni McCarthy and Bob Mafoso of Lesotho.
Mafoso, whose coaching career spans just over a decade and includes silverware both locally and abroad, will oversee only his third official match in charge of Likuena.
He took the reins while on the verge of guiding African Stars to their second successive Namibia Premier League title, having won the championship in his first season with the club.
McCarthy, one of South Africa’s greatest-ever players, has built a strong coaching CV with stints at Cape Town City, AmaZulu, and as a striker's coach at Manchester United.
Both teams will use the double-header as preparation for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Pamoja 2027 qualifiers. Harambee Stars were drawn in Group D of the qualifiers alongside South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea.
The draw sets up a competitive group as nations across the continent begin their qualification campaigns for the continental showpiece, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Kenya through to 2027 AFCON
Kenya, as one of the co-host nations of the tournament, have already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite the automatic qualification, Harambee Stars will still participate in the qualification campaign alongside the other nations in Group D.
A total of 48 nations will compete in the qualifiers, with 24 teams set to feature at the final tournament. Meanwhile, Lesotho were drawn in Group A alongside Morocco, Gabon and Niger.
The fixtures give Mafoso an early chance to gauge his squad ahead of the Afcon 2027 qualifiers, where they will face World Cup-bound Morocco, Gabon and Niger.
For McCarthy, it will be his first match against his home country since taking charge of Harambee Stars.
McCarthy has already unveiled the Kenya squad for the matches with notable inclusions, including five new call-ups handed an opportunity at the senior national team level.
Defender Deon Woodman (Wealdstone FC), winger Sammy Hena-Kamau (Hull City), forward Micah Obiero (Wealdstone FC), defender Sydney Agina (Stoke City) and goalkeeper Caleb Kramer (ADO Den Haag) have all earned places in the squad.
The June international window will provide the technical bench with another opportunity to assess the team as Harambee Stars continue preparations for upcoming continental assignments.
Kenya final squad;
Goalkeepers: Byrne Omondi, Faruk Shikhalo, Caleb Kramer.
Defenders: Erick Ouma, Stanley Wilson, Sylvester Owino, Frank Odhiambo, Alphonce Omija, Deon Woodman, Rooney Onyango, Sydney Agina.
Midfielders: Richard Odada, Chris Erambo, Clarke Odour, Will Lenkupae, Austine Odhiambo, Zech Obiero.
Strikers: Job Ochieng, Mohammed Bajaber, Ben Stanley, Sammy Hena-Kamau, Micah Obiero, Ryan Ogam, Lawrence Okoth.
