Harambee Stars Set to Clash with Senegal in Antalya Friendly
McCarthy has spoken strongly of giving younger players exposure and trying out different combinations as he looks to build a more dynamic, competitive team.
For Senegal, the match against Kenya forms part of their extended preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which they have qualified for automatically following a first-place finish in CAF Group B. Photo/courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The Senegal Football Federation has officially confirmed that its national team, the Lions of Teranga, will take on Kenya’s Harambee Stars in an international friendly match on November 18, 2025. The encounter is scheduled for 15:00 GMT at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey, and will serve as a crucial preparatory test for both teams as they gear up for upcoming continental and global tournaments.
The Senegalese federation announced in a statement released via its verified Facebook page: “Senegal will play a second friendly this November 2025: the match will be against Kenya at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, kicking off at 15:00 GMT.” This friendly marks the revival of a fixture that had previously been called off in July 2025, just before the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The last competitive meeting between both sides took place at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, when Senegal ran out emphatic 3–0 winners in the group stages. Notably, Senegal has the upper hand in the head-to-head fixture against Kenya, having come out top in the last two meetings. This match will thus present Harambee Stars with another opportunity to gauge their progress against one of the African giants.
The game will be the second international outing for Kenya in the November window in Turkey, with the team also set to play against Madagascar on the 14th of November. Newly appointed head coach Benni McCarthy, who recently named his squad for the two friendlies, is expected to use the matches to fine-tune his tactics and assess emerging players ahead of the 2027 AFCON, which Kenya will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania.
Notably, star striker Michael Olunga, a prominent figure in the 2019 AFCON campaign, has been left out of the current squad. McCarthy has spoken strongly of giving younger players exposure and trying out different combinations as he looks to build a more dynamic, competitive team.
For Senegal, the match against Kenya forms part of their extended preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which they have qualified for automatically following a first-place finish in CAF Group B. The Lions of Teranga are also focused on the 2025 AFCON staged in Morocco, where they were drawn into Group D and will be among the prime favorites to win the competition. Both nations see the friendlies in Antalya as crucial encounters, with Kenya looking to boost team cohesion and confidence, while Senegal aims at refining strategies for maintaining momentum ahead of a challenging 2026 football calendar. The match in November is therefore bound to be a thrilling contest of form, discipline, and ambition between these two African adversaries.
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