Benni McCarthy in trouble? Football stakeholders set bar high for Bafana Bafana legend ahead of 2027 AFCON - 'We can plan how to reach the final!'

By virtue of being the co-hosts, Harambee Stars were guaranteed a slot in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

It is the same case with their neighbours, Tanzania and Uganda, who were part of the teams that competed in the recently concluded 2025 edition held in Morocco and won by Senegal.

Kenya failed to qualify for the prestigious continental competition.

Kenya's 2027 AFCON Local Organising Committee chairman, Nicholas Musonye, has explained what the target should be for Benni's Harambee Stars.

“We will discuss with the Football Kenya Federation president on how the team will be prepared. As the LOC, we are concerned about the success of Harambee Stars,” he told Sporty FM.

“AFCON is big, and we want our team to prepare well. We want the government to support our national team preparations so that we have the best team to contest and be in contention for winning, not just participating.

"During CHAN, we reached the quarter-finals, which was okay, but now we want to do better," the former CECAFA Secretary General added.

"If the team stretches all the way to the semi-finals, it will make this competition very exciting.

"Our target is to reach the semi-finals in the Africa Cup of Nations, and from there, we can plan how to reach the final.

"A semi-final place would stretch the competition to a level where everyone would be happy about it," Musonye concluded.

In his initial interview with Creamer Media TV, Benni hoped for some luck to perform well in the competition.

"I am praying that we don’t get a ‘Group of Death’ because that would really kill our chances. If you are in a group with Morocco, Ivory Coast, or Senegal, then ‘Group of Death’ because you know for a fact you don’t have that kind of quality and prowess," he stated.

But if we are in a modest group, we can have a fighting chance, and that is the first goal that we want to achieve: get out of the group and have the same impact we had when we played in the CHAN competition," Benni further explained.

The former forward and his technical team have about a year to ensure they get a competitive squad that will not disappoint the supporters.

He will use the forthcoming international friendly games to get his best team ahead of the massive task awaiting them.