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Kenya

Kenya soccer information

Having joined FIFA as early as 1960, Kenyan football can look back on a rich footballing tradition in Africa, including being one of 24 African teams that entered the qualifying rounds for the 1974 FIFA World Cup?.
Their first opponents were Sudan and after winning the first game in Kenya 2-0, they travelled to Sudan to defend their two-goal lead. Although the Harambee Stars lost the return leg 1-0, they still advanced to the second round. In the second round they again won at home - this time against Mauritius - and held the islanders to a 2-2 draw in Mauritius. The Kenyans came unstuck in the third round as they lost 2-0 in Zambia and could only draw 2-2 at home.
In the African pre-preliminary qualifying rounds for Germany '06, Kenya was drawn against their East African rivals Tanzania, with whom they still had a score to settle after the Taifa Stars sent them crashing out the qualifying competition for Spain '82. They did not manage to avenge a 5-0 away loss after a goalless draw in Dar-Es-Salaam, but a 3-0 home victory gave them what they wanted. Two of the goals in Nairobi came from teenage sensation Dennis Oliech.
The Qatar-based forward again impressed at the African Cup of Nations, scoring a goal in his nation's historic first-ever victory at the CAN ? a 3-0 win over Burkina Faso. He will have to be in top form if his side is to finish atop Group 5 in the African Zone, which includes the two CAN finalists Tunisia and Morocco, as well as Guinea, Malawi and Botswana.

Founded
1960

Affiliated
1960

WC participations
None

WC honours
None

Continental Titles
East African Cup (1926, 1931, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1958, 1959, 1960 together with Uganda, 1961, 1966)

Facts

Kenya have been a regular participant in the FIFA World Cup? qualifiers since 1974, but to date the East Africans have been unable to get through to the finals. Kenya's first professional football team, Volcano United, was only founded in 1985.

On their FIFA World Cup qualifying debut the Kenyans were knocked out by Zambia, while four years later they were narrowly defeated by Egypt. In subsequent preliminary rounds, Tanzania and Nigeria put paid to Kenyan chances.
An early exit from the 2002 FIFA World Cup preliminary qualifying was considered a national disaster in Kenya. Following a 2-0 defeat in Malawi, they were held to a 0-0 draw in the return. In the preliminary qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kenya secured a berth in the group stage after a comfortable 3-0 aggregate victory over Tanzania.