Harambee Stars is scheduled to play against Seychelles on November 20, 2023, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The match will be hosted in Ivory Coast due to the absence of a Seychellois stadium meeting FIFA and CAF’s stringent requirements.
Seychelles has not qualified for the World Cup since its inception in 1930. The team has also struggled in recent years, with a string of losses in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. However, the team has shown some improvement in recent matches, and Harambee Stars will need to be at their best to secure a victory.
Ivory Coast dominated Seychelles 9-0 in the Group F curtain-raiser, inflicting upon the island nation its heaviest-ever competitive defeat.
Les Elephants scored in an unidirectional contest at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, with seven different players finding the net. Karim Konate, a young sensation for Red Bull Salzburg, accumulated two goals and two assists.
Seychelles have suffered three consecutive losses in their last four appearances, including a group-stage elimination in the 2023 COSAFA Cup after finishing at the bottom of Group B.
The Pirates’ most recent triumph occurred on March 23, when they triumphed over Bangladesh 1-0 in a friendly match at the Sylhet District Stadium on the scoreboard thanks to Michael Mancienne’s second-half penalty.
This is Seychelles’ first triumph in any competition in the past seven years; their last victory occurred in March 2016, when they defeated Lesotho 2-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying round.
In another match, Kenya was unable to capitalize on a strong start to the World Cup qualifying phase as they were defeated 2-1 by Gabon in the final 30 minutes after squandering the lead.
The guests took the lead in the 40th minute through Masoud Juma Choka’s opener, but Denis Bouanga and Guelor Kanga scored in the second half to reverse the tide at the Stade de Franceville.
This was Kenya’s first competitive match since November 2021, when goals from Michael Olunga and Richard Odada helped them defeat Rwanda 2-1 in the World Cup qualifiers.
Since the beginning of 2023, Engin Firat’s squad has participated in six friendlies, where they have suffered three defeats and triumphed over Pakistan and Qatar, respectively.
Kenya, who are 110th in the most recent FIFA World Rankings, face Monday’s match following four competitive away matches without a victory. Since their 2-1 victory over Togo in March 2021, they have suffered two defeats and recorded two draws.
Nevertheless, the Harambee Stars will be hoping to get their qualification campaign back on track as they face a foe that has failed to score in each of their last six meetings, with five losses and one draw dating back to November 1992.
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