Zim seek to end Kenya’s dominance

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THE Warriors go into the penultimate match of the 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign against Kenya at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane today seeking to end the Harambee Stars’ dominance in their head-to-head clashes.

Zimbabwe need to avoid defeat in today’s match to join Cameroon as the group’s top two teams, with one more round of matches remaining. However, a loss in today’s match will leave Zimbabwe needing to win away to Cameroon next week on Tuesday as Kenya face win-less Namibia in their final qualifier which they start as overwhelming favourites. Zimbabwe and Kenya have played 13 matches since November 1982, with the Harambee Stars winning six, drawing six and the Warriors claiming just one victory in the 1985 Cecafa Cup final on October 13, a 2-0 win securing the regional trophy.

Zimbabwe are winless in Five AFCON qualifiers against Kenya. Eight of the 13 matches came between 1982 and 1989 with six of them being CECAFA Cup matches. In the two AFCON qualifiers in July of 1987, the teams drew 0-0 and 1-1.

There was a 19-year break before they clashed in the joint Fifa World Cup/AFCON qualifiers in 2008 with the Zimbabwe leg ending in a goalless draw while Kenya cruised to a 2-0 win in Nairobi. Another long break followed until March this year when the teams clashed in the final of the Four-Nations tournament held in Malawi where Kenya came from behind and won 3-1.  Kenya, who participated as a guest nation, claimed a 2-0 win in the final. The most recent clash came in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers in September when they settled for a goalless draw in Uganda, the adopted home for Kenya whose stadiums do not meet the minimum standards set by CAF.

Going into today’s match:

• Zimbabwe are unbeaten in their previous six AFCON qualifiers (W2 D2); they last enjoyed a longer such run in June 2016 (W3 D3).
• Kenya have lost each of their last two AFCON qualifiers; they last lost three in succession in March 2016.
• 50 percent of Zimbabwe’s goals scored in AFCON 2025 qualifying have come via penalties (2/4), the joint-highest such proportion for a side in qualifying.