• Kenya are third in Group 'F' behind Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon.
• Only the top team in the group will qualify for the 48-team World Cup, which will be played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Image: FILE
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has tipped his charges to humiliate their detractors with magnificent performances in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and Cote d'Ivoire.
Suspense is piling up ahead of the team's two crunch ties following their arrival in Lilongwe, Malawi on Sunday.
Kenya will flex muscles with the Swallows of Burundi on June 7 before taking on African champions Cote d'Ivoire on June 11.
"Some people might think we are taking an extremely long shot. That it's beyond our reach. We have prepared well for the task ahead and can achieve our target with focus and effort," Firat remarked.
"We are here to pick the vital wins. We need maximum points to bolster our chances of qualifying directly for the World Cup," Firat stated.
"The worst scenario should see us emerge among the four best runners-up. That will give us a second chance to qualify for the tournament."
The gallant Stars are returning to a familiar territory at the Bingu National Stadium where they clinched the Four Nations invitational tournament in March after thrashing Malawi 4-0 and Zimbabwe 3-1.
"The good news is that we recently played here a few months ago and we are familiar with the surface. That might work to our advantage," Firat added.
Stars trained for a week at the Police Sacco stadium in Nairobi before leaving for Malawi.
"Training has been good, although we haven't had enough time to train together. What's encouraging is that we managed to get a good number of our players in camp," Firat remarked.
"We've achieved a lot in training and I believe we still have some polishing to do before the big day."
Kenya are third in Group 'F' behind Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon. Others in the group of death are continental minnows Seychelles, whom Kenya thrashed 5-0 in their last tie in Abidjan.
The Gambia have since acquired the services of immediate former Gor Mahia head coach Johnathan McKinstry.
Only the top team in the group will qualify for the 48-team World Cup, which will be played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Four of the best runners-up from the nine groups will have a chance in a playoff that will determine CAF’s representative in the inter-confederation playoffs involving six teams to decide the last two World Cup slots.