Harambee Stars Captain Michael Olunga has stated that the team is ready to take on African football giants Ivory Coast in their second Group F match of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

Olunga has assured Kenyans that the team is not just in the competition to be part of it but rather to showcase Kenya’s football capabilities on the global stage.

This comes despite a disappointing performance against Burundi.

“Now, the team is really focused on the next assignment against the African champions, who we know will pose a different threat than that of Burundi. However, for each and every game, we have to plan and come up with a way to counter the opponent,” stated Michael Olunga.

“It will not be easy, but the boys are up for the challenge,” he added.

The Kenyan skipper was speaking during a post-match press conference on Monday with head coach Engin Firat, who seemed cautious about raising fans’ hopes.

“The whole picture now is different because when the draw was made, I had different plans than today. Normally, my plan was to sit in Nairobi and play tomorrow in front of 40,000 Kenyans,” stated Firat.

“When you make plans, even against Burundi, we had eight players from the ones we had invited missing, and now one more will miss tomorrow.

“Therefore, all plans have been broken, and we are not a country that can easily replace every player. At the moment, we have a team full of local players. Ask the Ivorians when was the last time they had a local player play in their national team,” added Firat.

Harambee Stars had a feel of the field this morning ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier match against Ivory Coast later today, June 11, 2024.

The match is scheduled to be played at Bingu Stadium in Malawi from 4 pm EAT. This will be the third qualifier match for coach Engin Firat’s men, who were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burundi. in their previous game.