Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy has announced his final 20-man squad for the upcoming back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Bafana Bafana, setting up an interesting international battle against his home country.

The former Bafana Bafana striker will be hoping to guide the Harambee Stars to positive results when they face South Africa twice in November. The two matches will be important for both teams as they continue their preparations for the continental competition.

McCarthy will face a familiar opponent in Pitso Mosimane, who has made an encouraging start to his tenure as Bafana Bafana head coach. Mosimane will be determined to maintain the team's positive momentum after recording impressive results in his opening matches.

South Africa started their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea before producing an even more convincing performance against Eritrea, winning 5-0. Bafana also continued their good run with a 1-0 victory in a friendly match played in Egypt.

Those results have given Mosimane a positive start, and the coach will be looking for his players to maintain their performances against Kenya.

McCarthy, meanwhile, has experienced a more difficult start to the qualifying campaign. Although Kenya have already secured their place at the 2027 AFCON because they are among the tournament's co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda, the former Orlando Pirates striker will still want his team to collect positive results.

The Harambee Stars began their qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Eritrea before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Guinea. McCarthy will therefore be looking for an improved performance when his team faces Bafana.

The announcement of the final 20-man squad gives an indication of the players McCarthy will trust for the two encounters against South Africa. The Kenyan coach will need his selected players to deliver strong performances against a Bafana side that has shown good attacking form in recent matches.

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

The teams will then travel to Kenya for the return fixture, which is scheduled for Tuesday, 17 November 2026.

For McCarthy, the two matches will provide an opportunity to measure his team's progress against one of Africa's competitive national sides. For Mosimane, they will be another chance to build on his promising start and strengthen Bafana's preparations for the 2027 AFCON.

With McCarthy facing his home country, the upcoming double-header will also carry an interesting personal storyline for South African football supporters.

Source: IDiskiTimes