Kenya will be featuring in their 6th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament and their first since 2004. Kenya has never reached the knock out stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.
In the 2019 edition, Kenya is in Group C alongside Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania.
Kenya turned down the chance to reach the first tow tournaments’ finals (1957 and 1959) as they did not enter into qualification.
In the next finals between 1962 and 1970, the Harambee Stars tried but failed to qualify for the AFCON tournament.
Their first appearance at the finals came in Cameroon 1972. They were drawn into Group A alongside Cameroon, Mali and Togo. Tow draws and one loss in three games saw Kenya finish third and hence eliminated at the group stage.
The next five editions between 1974 and 1982, Kenya once again failed to qualify. They went on to turn down chance to take part in the 1984 qualifiers before failing to reach the finals in 1986.
In the three consecutive finals between 1988 and 1992, Kenya qualified for the finals but was eliminated at the group stage. In all three editions, they never managed a victory, drawing only two games and six.
Kenya went on to fall short in the 1994 edition, withdraw from 96 and then failed to qualify for 98, 2000 and 2002.
In 2004, Kenya returned to the finals, their last appearance to date. They were drawn in Group B alongside Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso. In the first game, Kenya lost 1-3 to Mali, went on to lose 0-3 to Senegal and defeated Burkina Faso 3-0 in their last game.
The three points were only good enough for third position behind Mali and Senegal. The win against Burkina Faso was Kenya’s first and last to date in the Africa Cup of Nations.
From Egypt 2006 to Gabon 2017, the Harambee Stars tried but failed to qualify for the AFCON finals.
Coach
Sébastien Migné
Migné is French coach and former player who currently manages the Kenya national Men’s football team.
He was previously coach of the DR Congo U20 national football team. He was the first coach to qualify the team for the continental championships. Migné was appointed coach of the Congo national team in March 2017 and left in March 2018.
On 3 May 2018, Migné was named the new coach of Harambee Stars. Under Migné Kenya has been nominated for the first time in history for the CAF Men’s national team of the year award 2018.
Star Player
Victor Wanyama
Wanyama is a 27-year-old midfielder who plays for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
He started his professional career at Belgian side Beerschot Ac where he played for three seasons. From there, he moved to Scottish giants Celtics from 2011 to 2013.
Between 2013 and 2016, Wanyama played for Premier League side Southampton before he was signed by Tottenham Hotspurs for a fee of 11m Pounds. He was part of the Spurs team that lost the 2019 UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool.
Wanyama has played 337 club games throughout his career and scored 26 goals.
Projection: Group Stage
Senegal Fixtures at AFCON 2019
-Kenya vs Algeria, 23nd June
-Tanzania vs Kenya, 27th June
-Kenya vs Senegal, 01th July
