The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officially begins today for Harambee Stars as they host Eritrea in a highly anticipated Group D opener at Nyayo Stadium.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThis afternoon presents an important competitive test for head coach Benni McCarthy, who has had to contend with disrupted preparations, including just one full training session on Friday following a player strike.##NAJAVA_MECA_9984752##Despite already securing qualification as one of the tournament’s co-hosts, McCarthy has made it clear that his side is targeting a strong campaign and a top finish in a group that also features South Africa and Guinea.Kenya are in Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea, with the Stars opening their campaign at home before travelling to Conakry to face Guinea on 1 October.Eritrea, meanwhile, arrives in Nairobi with confidence after successfully negotiating the preliminary round. They defeated Eswatini 2-0 in the first leg before winning the return fixture 2-1 to advance 4-1 on aggregate.Ali Suleiman was among their standout performers, scoring in both matches and netting twice in the second leg.The result marked an encouraging return to AFCON qualifying for Eritrea, who are back in the competition after an absence of almost two decades.Welcome and enjoy the next few minutes of live action from Nairobi as Harambee Stars begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign at Nyayo Stadium.Harambee Stars seek to defy inadequate preparations against Eritrea in 2027 AFCON Qualifiers opener