AFCON 2027: Early Predictions for Kenya’s Group D Matches – Eritrea, Guinea, South Africa
On May 19 in Cairo, the draw for the qualifying round to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations took place. The Harambee Stars ended up in Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea. The schedule is already determined and the first thing that comes into question among Kenyan football betting as well as those who are betting is – what to bet on?
Taking into consideration future odds in context with matches with each opponent in advance, the group is the puzzle specially designed for three distinct predictions.
Prediction #1 – Eritrea (home, 23 September)
One needs just to look through the current FIFA ratings to see that Kenya are the 111th national team in the world while Eritrea are ranked 184th. It seems like an easy team but the history of previous series between these countries tells a different story.
Over the last three direct meetings, Eritrea defeated Kenya: 2-1 in Nairobi in 2019, 1-0 in Asmara in the qualifiers of the 2008 edition, and the embarrassment – 4-1 in the 2019 CECAFA Cup. From December 2003 till now, Kenya are unable to score a goal against Eritrea. It is already 22 years ago.
However, now it is a new generation of football players. After the qualification draw, Austin Odhiambo, nicknamed Rolls Royce, stated that “matches help us to unite and get accustomed to the tournament atmosphere”. Following the 3-0 demolition of Grenada in March, the team captained by Benni McCarthy will prepare for two friendly games against Kyrgyzstan and Palestine in June.
Concerning prediction, chances for a usual win of the Kenyans would be rather low – 1.15 to 1.20. A more promising prediction in this case would be handicap (-1.5). The odds would be a little higher and Harambee Stars need to defeat Eritrea by at least two goals.
Prediction #2 – Guinea (away, 27 September and home, 28 March)
After the failure to reach AFCON 2025, the team from Guinea is full of thirst for revenge and their squad features such an ace as the forward of Borussia Dortmund, Serhou Guirassy. At the same time, taking into account FIFA rating (80th place in the world) and head-to-head statistics (eight matches with four victories for each side), this game can be considered fairly even.
What should be taken into account, however, is the current reconstruction of stadiums in Kenya, promised by McCarthy to organize some games away from Nairobi. In such a situation, the venue of the Guinea game can become Kisumu or Eldoret. Hence, the concept of a “home” match for Harambee Stars will change.
As for prediction, the most logical decision would be a “both teams to score”. Odds of 1.80 to 2.00 can be considered reasonable given Guirassy in the Guinea squad and updates in the attack of Kenya (new tactics of McCarthy provide for much more offensive play than Firat’s).
Prediction #3 – South Africa (away, 11 November and home, 15 November)
It has been mentioned earlier, there is no reason why this game could be separated from others in the group.
According to the FIFA rating, South Africa is the 60th strongest national team in the world. Out of the four last meetings, Kenya lost three and drew the other one; however, all these games were played under conditions of friendship matches. The secret here lies in the name – Benni McCarthy.
The veteran player, now serving as the coach of Harambee Stars, brought pride to all South Africa scoring a record number of goals (31 in 79 games) playing for Bafana Bafana. Now he leads Kenya to struggle against his homeland and says: “South Africans are obvious favorites, we will not lose 8-0”.
Considering that on 15 November, the game will be played in Kenya, one can safely say that atmosphere in the stadium will be simply stunning. Hence, “double chance (1X)” on Kenya in that particular match sounds rather promising.
Qualification Calendar
| Window | Dates | Matches |
| First | 21 September – 6 October 2026 | Kenya vs Eritrea (23 Sept, home), Guinea vs Kenya (27 Sept, away) |
| Second | 9–17 November 2026 | South Africa vs Kenya (11 Nov, away), Kenya vs South Africa (15 Nov, home) |
| Third | 22–30 March 2027 | Eritrea vs Kenya (24 Mar, away), Kenya vs Guinea (28 Mar, home) |
Local Warm-Up: The Kenyan Premier League Finishing Straight
As the national team trains for the qualifiers, another saga is unfolding at home. Gor Mahia leads with 68 points in 32 rounds, four points ahead of AFC Leopards, with only two more rounds to go.
The chairperson of Gor Mahia, Ambrose Rachier, has pledged 5 million shillings to the players if they win the league title. It is expected that the clash between Gor Mahia and Mara Sugar on 24th May will determine the fate of this competition. The leading player for Murang’a Seal and the leading goal scorer in this league (15 goals), Joseph Irungu, is on fire by scoring in the last three matches.
For those interested in predicting the outcome of matches before the start of football betting in September, now there are a great opportunity for you to prove yourself.
Where to Track the Odds
September 2026 will be an important event – this is when the qualifiers for the AFCON 2027 begins, coinciding with the opening of the new season in the European leagues. Follow the betting lines of the matches involving Harambee Stars using the best football betting apps, where the odds will be immediately displayed from bookmakers.
Now mobile betting apps are popular among Kenyan gamblers since you can place bets online and monitor the movement of odds in key matches for you.
