Wanyama Backs McCarthy as Harambee Stars Begin to Believe in AFCON 2027
Victor Wanyama has seen enough. Kenya’s greatest footballer — who hung up his boots just days ago — is throwing his full weight behind Benni McCarthy and the direction Harambee Stars are heading.
And he likes what he sees.
McCarthy took charge in March 2025, inheriting a squad that needed more than tactics — it needed belief. Thirteen months later, the signs are real. Wanyama pointed to specifics: a high defensive line, coordinated pressing, cleaner possession with purpose in the forward transitions. Stuff that takes time to build and months to trust.
“You can see the playing style is coming together now,” Wanyama said. “Playing a high line, pressing, counter-press, keeping the ball, playing forward — all those things.” That’s not a coach trying something. That’s a team starting to understand it.
The bigger picture is AFCON 2027. The tournament runs from June 19 to July 18 next year, and Kenya — for the first time in a long while — has reason to think about it seriously. Not just qualify. Compete.
Wanyama believes that if this group stays together and keeps building, they can become “a really good team that has been together for a long time, and they’re ready to make the country proud.”
He said it after retiring. He’s still watching closely. That’s the clearest endorsement McCarthy could get.