Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga has voiced his disappointment over the national team’s inability to play their home World Cup qualifiers in Kenya.Kenya is set to play in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Burundi and African Champions Ivory Coast, with matches to be held at Bingu National Stadium in Malawi.The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) were forced to seek refuge in Malawi after it emerged that Kenya had no CAF-approved stadium to host the games and Olunga, who linked up with the squad on Friday, feels the players will not enjoy the support of home fans.##NAJAVA_MECA_8136124##“It is a deplorable state that we cannot play here at home after we have seen Nyayo Stadium closed for two-three years for renovation, but still we cannot secure a place to play here,” Olunga told members of the fourth estate in an open media session at Police Sacco Stadium on Friday.“It is a big disadvantage because when you play away, as we played with Gabon, their fans played a key role when they were trailing, so this is the kind of advantage that we are going to lose because Kenyans are hungry to see Harambee Stars playing at home in an official game.”2026 WCQ: Engin Firat hints at unexpected choices for Harambee Stars final squadHe went on, “I just like the Ministry of Sports and government to secure these surfaces that meet CAF standards so that the next qualifiers we do not repeat the same mistakes. We want people to enjoy the national team back at home.”Olunga picks inspiration from the familiarity of the Harambee Stars squad, with Bingu having won the Four Nations Tournament trophy at the venue three months ago.“It is unfortunate but we are going to Malawi, a much more familiar territory, and we are going to give it our best because we are synched for the two games,” he added.“We would have loved to have our fans because we have been playing well out there but it is by bad luck we cannot play at home but nowadays anywhere is home and the players are good and they will push us.“It will not be a major disadvantage because all teams will play like they are away. Knowing the pitch and temperature is good, so it is like one step ahead.”2026 WCQ: CAF and FIFA confirm dates and kick off times for June qualifiers
