Benni McCarthy sees advantage for Kenya against Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana
· The South African
Benni McCarthy is preparing to face his home country after Bafana Bafana appointed Pitso Mosimane as their new head coach. South Africa will play Kenya in two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches on 13 November 2026 (home) and 17 November 2026 (away).
McCarthy believes the timing of the change could work in Kenya’s favour.
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The former Bafana Bafana striker pointed to the adjustment period Mosimane and his players will need. He believes the squad will require time to understand the new coach’s tactical approach and expectations.
KENYA CAN EXPLOIT BAFANA BAFANA TRANSITION SAYS BENNI MCCARTHY
“As good as they are, we have seen them at the World Cup but whenever there’s a change of guard, it takes time for players to understand a new head coach,” said Benni on Sporty TV.
“So, maybe the [change of coach] could have come at a better [time] for us because it will take a couple of games for South Africa to play the way Pitso wants to play.”
McCarthy knows the quality within the Bafana Bafana squad, but believes a coaching change can disrupt the understanding between players.
South Africa recently brought Mosimane back for a second spell in charge of the national team. The veteran coach now has the task of implementing his football philosophy while also delivering results in the AFCON qualifiers.
Kenya have already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 AFCON as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania. However, McCarthy still wants the Harambee Stars to approach the qualifiers seriously.
The matches will give Kenya an opportunity to build momentum and test themselves against strong opposition ahead of the tournament.
For Mosimane, the fixtures will provide an early examination of his second spell with Bafana Bafana.
RESULTS WITH KENYA
Since taking charge of the Kenya national team in March 2025, Benni McCarthy has overseen a series of qualifiers and international friendlies.
His World Cup qualifying campaign included a dramatic 3–3 draw against Gambia and a narrow 2–1 defeat to Gabon.
McCarthy also guided Kenya through several friendlies. The Harambee Stars drew 0–0 with Chad before beating them 2–1. In June 2026, they drew 1–1 with Lesotho before securing a convincing 4–0 victory in their next meeting.
His biggest achievement came at the August 2025 CHAN tournament.
McCarthy guided the Harambee Stars into the quarter-finals after they topped their group with 1–0 victories over DR Congo, Morocco and Zambia, alongside a 1–1 draw against Angola.
Their impressive run eventually came to an end in the knockout stages after a narrow defeat to Madagascar.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM BENNI MCCARTHY VS PITSO MOSIMANE?
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