Benni McCarthy has been officially named the new head coach of the Kenya national team and faces a race against time to prepare his squad for two crucial World Cup qualifiers in just three weeks. The 47-year-old signed a contract with the Kenya Football Federation, which had been on the table since December, and will lead the Harambee Stars with the support of assistant coaches Vasili Manousakis, formerly of Richards Bay, and ex-South Africa and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs. McCarthy’s first assignment will be later this month when Kenya travels to face Gambia before returning home to host Gabon. While the exact dates and venues for the qualifiers are yet to be confirmed, both matches are vital for Kenya’s hopes of securing their first-ever World Cup berth. They currently sit fourth in Group F with five points from four matches, trailing leaders Ivory Coast by five points, with six qualifiers remaining.

Although Kenya is set to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Tanzania and Uganda, they failed to qualify for the 2025 edition in Morocco. McCarthy takes on this role nearly nine months after leaving Manchester United, where he was part of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff. Before that, he made a name for himself as a manager at Cape Town City and AmaZulu, guiding the latter from the relegation zone to a remarkable second-place finish in the 2020-21 Premier Soccer League season. As a player, McCarthy enjoyed a stellar career, becoming the only South African to win the UEFA Champions League with Porto. He remains Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading goal scorer with 31 goals. McCarthy is now the ninth South African to coach another nation’s national team, following in the footsteps of Thomas ‘Zero’ Johnson (Botswana), Mlungisi ‘Professor’ Ngubane (Namibia), Ephraim Mashaba (Eswatini), and Thabo Senong (Lesotho), among others. Last month, Botswana also appointed another South African, Morena Ramoreboli, as their new head coach. With a wealth of experience both on and off the pitch, McCarthy’s appointment brings excitement and high expectations as Kenya looks to make history on the international stage.