The men’s national football team, Harambee Stars, will open their campaign in the four-team friendly tournament set to take place in Mauritius from 11-18 June by facing Djibouti in their first of three matches on Monday 12.The Engin Firat-coached side will then take on Pakistan two days later on Wednesday 14 June before closing their participation in the tournament with a game against hosts Mauritius on Sunday 18 following confirmation by the Mauritius Football Association on Monday afternoon.
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In an exclusive interview, Mozzart Sport revealed that the national team, who are not taking part in the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations owing to an earlier FIFA suspension, will travel down to Mauritius as they continue their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup whose African qualifiers kick off in November this year.“We had a last-minute opportunity with this tournament which is in the end good for us because I will then have three matches where I can give a lot of players a chance.Last time against Iran it was not so easy to let very young and inexperienced players to play, therefore, I think the tournament is a good opportunity for us,” he told Mozzart Sport.Exclusive: Harambee Stars to play Mauritius, Djibouti and Pakistan in June international windowThe coach also revealed he will be using the 4 Nations Football Series to try as many players as possible with the aim of getting a large pool for the qualifiers.“We will play our first match on 12 June and many of our players will still be in Europe and Asia which means they will not be available. Therefore, we will try new players and check them out because our target is to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers so we need to check all players who can bring whatever,” he noted.According to the last FIFA rankings, Kenya, in position 102, are the best in the quartet. Mauritius are in position 180, Djibouti are in position 193 and Pakistan occupy position 195.Musa Oundo: The glue holding AFC Leopards’ midfieldFull FixturesSunday 11 JuneMauritius vs PakistanMonday 12 JuneKenya vs DjiboutiWednesday 14 JunePakistan vs KenyaThursday 15 JuneMauritius vs DjiboutiSunday 17 JuneDjibouti vs PakistanSunday 18 June Mauritius vs Kenya
