It's Tough But We Can Do It- Kimanzi On Kenya's 2022 World Cup Hopes

NAIROBI, Kenya- Harambee Stars head coach Francis Kimanzi believes Kenya’s draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers is tough, but something that his side are very capable of doing.

Harambee Stars were drawn in Pool E alongside neighbors Rwanda, Uganda and West African side Mali for the first phase of qualification, which kicks off in March.

Kenya has never qualified for the World Cup, but the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has constantly made it clear that it is a goal that they will strive to achieve.

“To be honest I believe it is a fair group for us. It is tough, but doable. We know Uganda very well and Mali as well we saw them at the Cup of Nations in Egypt.

“Rwanda is also another tough side. This will be a closely contested group but I believe if we get our act right, we can get something out of the fixtures,” the former Mathare United FC tactician stated.

The qualifiers are set to kick off in March and will run back to back alongside the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which were brought back after the change in calendar to allow Cameroon host the showpiece in January/February.

Kmanzi is no stranger to the outcome of playing back to back matches but he believes he has put together a strong and deep squad for all the assignments.

“We have been working to get a big squad because we knew this year was going to be heavy on us and I am happy with what we have so far.

“We now only need to plan and prepare well for every game and take each match at a time,” Kimanzi added.

The winners of each of the 10 groups will advance to the final play-off round where the teams will be drawn against each other to get the final five to represent Africa in Qatar in 2022.