Kenya U23 Advance Past Tanzania 5-4 on Aggregate in AFCON Qualifier
Updated October 9, 2026
Kenya’s Emerging Stars advanced to the second round of the 2027 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after surviving a late challenge from Tanzania. Tanzania won the October 6 return leg 3-1 in Dar es Salaam, but Kenya progressed 5-4 on aggregate after its 4-1 first-leg victory in Nairobi.
How the two legs unfolded
In the September 28 first leg at Nyayo Stadium, Kenya scored through Paul Osama, Lawrence Okoth, Kevin Wangaya and Kelly Madada. Shekhan Khamis scored Tanzania’s goal from a penalty, leaving Kenya with a three-goal advantage for the return match.
Tanzania scored three times in the return fixture and reduced the aggregate gap, but Kenya’s first-leg lead was enough. CAF confirmed that Kenya will face Côte d’Ivoire in the next round.
What the result means
The 5-4 aggregate result keeps Kenya in contention for the Egypt 2027 finals. The Tanzania win in the second leg does not change who advanced; two-leg ties are decided by the combined score across both matches.
