Kenya's U-23s beat Côte d'Ivoire 2-1 in AFCON qualifier first leg; return leg on 17 November

Kenya's under-23 side, the Emerging Stars, beat Côte d'Ivoire 2-1 in the first leg of their second-round qualifier for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on 11 November 2026, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reported on 12 November. The return leg is on 17 November in Abidjan.

The first half was goalless. Henry Omollo gave Kenya the lead in the 65th minute, Oumar Konaté equalised for Côte d'Ivoire nine minutes later, and Andreas Odhiambo restored Kenya's advantage in the 84th minute, according to CAF.

Head coach Anthony Kimani named a 39-man provisional squad for the tie, which the Football Kenya Federation announced on 31 October. Fica News previewed the match on 1 November in Kenya U-23 coach Kimani names 39 for Côte d'Ivoire tie; first leg at Nyayo on 11 November.

"We knew it was not going to an easy game because Ivory Coast is a team comprising of very good players," Kimani said after the match, as quoted by the Kenyan news site K24, which reported that the team had stuck to its game plan and that the plan paid off.

Kenya reached this round by beating Tanzania 5-4 on aggregate, winning the first leg 4-1 at Nyayo and losing the second 3-1 in Dar es Salaam. They now lead the Côte d'Ivoire tie 2-1.

The winner of the tie goes into a third round of two-legged ties, with first legs on 22 March 2027 and return legs on 30 March 2027. The seven third-round winners join hosts Egypt at the 2027 finals. The tournament is also part of Africa's qualifying route to the men's Olympic football tournament at Los Angeles 2028.

The return leg at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan kicks off at 10pm East Africa Time on 17 November.