Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy is edging closer to being appointed Kenya national team coach with reports indicating that his unveiling will take place in Nairobi this week.
McCarthy started talks with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in December 2024 and after a number of meetings, the 47-year-old is now reported to have agreed terms to start work ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers that will take place in March.
South Africa’s all-time top scorer has been without a job since leaving Premier League side Manchester United last June but has been linked with the Harambee Stars role since late last year.
Now, reports indicate that he will arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday before his unveiling on Friday and he is believed to have agreed a two-year deal that will likely see him lead Harambee Stars to the 2027 Africa Cup Nations which Kenya will co-host with neighbours Tanzania and Uganda.
When will Benni’s first match with Kenya be?
McCarthy’s immediate assignment will be assembling a team for the World Cup qualifiers for which Kenya are fourth in their group with five points from four matches, five behind leaders Ivory Coast.
Kenya will play away to The Gambia on March 17 before hosting Gabon on March 24 and McCarthy will get an opportunity to introduce himself to the local supporters as Harambee Stars will play at home for the first time since 2021 after one of the country’s stadiums was approved for the match.
“As the [FKF] president mentioned earlier, Francis Kimanzi was only an interim coach. The new head coach will be in charge of the matches against Gabon and Gambia. After his unveiling, he will work alongside several identified local coaches to prepare for the games. We need to be ready to compete,” a source from FKF told Kenyan outlet Mozzart Sport.
It is a whole new experience for McCarthy who will be taking on a national team job for the first time, having coached Cape Town City and AmaZulu, before his two-year stint at United, where he worked as attacking coach from July 2022 to June 2024.
