Kenya faces a favourable path to the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they have been drawn in Group J alongside five-time champions Cameroon, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The tournament is set to be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The draw took place on Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kenya has a history with each of these teams, having played at least six matches against each.
Namibia: Kenya has faced Namibia six times, with Namibia winning four matches (three by 1-0 and one by 2-1). Kenya has won two matches, both with a score of 1-0. Their last encounter was a 1-0 victory for Kenya in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Nairobi.
Cameroon: Kenya has never won against Cameroon, with four draws and four losses in their eight meetings. This is the second time the two countries are in the same AFCON qualifying group. Their previous encounters include two draws in the 1998 AFCON qualifiers and three AFCON matches, where Kenya lost twice and drew once. The teams last met in 2010, with Cameroon winning 3-1 in a friendly match.
Zimbabwe: Kenya has played Zimbabwe 12 times, winning six matches, drawing five, and losing only once. However, only one of these victories was in AFCON or FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The remaining wins were in the CECAFA Cup, COSAFA Cup, and friendly matches. Kenya will aim to improve their record in competitive qualifiers.
The AFCON 2025 qualification draw includes 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the tournament. Morocco, the host nation, is in Group B with Gabon, Central African Republic, and Lesotho, but their participation is a formality as they have already qualified as hosts.
Kenya’s eastern neighbors Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea were not part of the draw. Somalia and Djibouti were eliminated in the preliminary qualifying rounds, and Eritrea has been inactive for over a year. The remaining CECAFA teams were drawn as follows:
- Group D: Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda
- Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger
- Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
- Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan
- Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi
