KENYA TO FACE SENEGAL IN INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES

The Senegal Football Federation has confirmed that the Lions of Teranga will face Harambee Stars in an international friendly match on November 18 at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 15:00 GMT and will be an important test for the two nations as they gear up towards various upcoming continental and global assignments.

In their official communication on Facebook, the Senegalese federation announced: “Senegal will play a second friendly match this November 2025: it will take place on November 18 at 15:00 GMT against Kenya at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya.”

The friendly marks the renewal of a long-awaited fixture between the two nations, following the cancellation of a previously planned clash pre-CHAN in July 2025.

The two teams last faced off competitively in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, with Senegal winning 3–0 in the group stages. Historically, Senegal has dominated this fixture, winning the last two meetings between the teams. For Kenya, it will be a second friendly of their November international window in Turkey after their game against Madagascar on November 14.

Head coach Benni McCarthy, who recently named his squad for the friendlies, will use these matches to continue shaping his team as he builds toward AFCON 2027, which Kenya will co-host along with Uganda and Tanzania.

Notably, lead striker Michael Olunga, who was part of the 2019 AFCON, will most probably miss the match as McCarthy looks to test emerging talents and has left him out of the squad.

The friendly will give Kenya a good opportunity to gauge their progress against a world-class opponent. For Senegal, the match forms part of their 2026 FIFA World Cup preparation campaign after automatically qualifying last month by topping CAF Group B. The Lions of Teranga are also expected to feature prominently in the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, having been drawn into Group D. Both teams will look to make the most of the Antalya friendlies, with Kenya trying to build confidence and chemistry and Senegal fine-tuning its tactics ahead of what promises to be a busy 2026 calendar.