Kenya’s national men’s football team, Harambee Stars, has been knocked out of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.
In a Group J qualification match played at the New Peter Moraba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, Kenya aimed to at least bag all three points to revive their hopes of participating in the tournament, which will be held in Morocco late next year.
Kenya looked like they might have avoided an upset when they recovered from conceding an early goal scored by Zimbabwean left winger Tawanda Maswanhise in the 32nd minute, thanks to the self-sacrificing courage of striker Jonah Ayunga shortly after halftime.
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Throughout the game, for both sides, there was always another attack to repel, another ball to clear, another scare to survive. But despite Kenya dominating possession with 62% of the ball by full-time, they failed to add the much-needed goal to win.
The two losses to Cameroon in the opening matches left Engin Firat’s team with no choice but to beat Zimbabwe to qualify. Following the 1-1 draw, the players now face the stinging humiliation of watching the tournament from home.
Kenya was third in the Group J table with 4 points and needed only a win to keep their qualification hopes alive. Cameroon, who drew goalless against bottom-placed Namibia a few days ago, has already secured qualification with 11 points and one match to spare. Zimbabwe joins them with 9 points.
With only a few qualifiers remaining, 19 national teams have already secured their spots in the continent’s most prestigious football tournament. Here is the full list of qualified teams for AFCON 2025 in Morocco:
List of teams qualified for AFCON 2025 Morocco
1. Algeria
2. Angola
3. Burkina Faso
4. Cameroon
5. Comoros
6. Côte d’Ivoire
7. DR Congo
8. Egypt
9. Equatorial Guinea
10. Gabon
11. Mali
12. Morocco
13. Nigeria
14. Senegal
15. South Africa
16. Tunisia
17. Uganda
18. Zambia
19. Zimbabwe
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