Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy believes Kenya is steadily evolving into a more competitive side ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting that the gap between his team and Africa’s elite is beginning to narrow.With friendly matches against Lesotho lined up on 4 June 4 and 7 June in South Africa, McCarthy says the focus is firmly on building consistency, integrating new talent and preparing a squad capable of competing at the highest level when AFCON arrives on home soil.##NAJAVA_MECA_9778323##Reflecting on Kenya’s heavy 8-0 Defeat to Senegal in November 2025, McCarthy admitted the difference in quality was clear at the time, but says the objective now is to ensure a far stronger response in future encounters against continental heavyweights.“The progression for this national team is getting better and better as days go by and the main aim is by the time the AFCON gets here, we want to be able to compete against a team the likes of Senegal,” McCarthy said.He stressed that the process is as important as the results, pointing to the introduction of younger players as part of a long-term rebuild aimed at raising standards within the squad.Inside Kiminini Premier League's rise from improvised friendlies to structured competition“We want to give a better account of ourselves than the last time that we faced Senegal. We felt that we were so far behind in terms of quality but that is why you see all these young players. I think this is inspiring for the local players playing in the Kenyan league.”McCarthy also highlighted Kenya’s recent international fixtures against Estonia and Grenada as key indicators of progress, suggesting the team is beginning to match up more credibly against stronger opposition.“We are not too far off where we want to be. The best comparison I can give is when we played our last international against Estonia and Grenada,” he explained."It was a risk worth taking" – Gor Mahia defender delights in maiden league win“Estonia were playing in the World Cup qualifiers against Italy, Norway, and even though they did not qualify, they gave a good account of themselves, and they showed their quality and the levels they were at. I think we were good against them and we drew, which I felt hard done by because I thought we were the better team and we lost on penalties unfortunately.”“That showed the levels this team was able to lift itself up, so I would say we are three-quarters close to where we want to be to make that full circle.”Harambee Starlets coach accuses Tanzanian side of repeated failure to release players for international dutyLooking ahead, McCarthy believes the final step in Kenya’s development will come with the return of several senior players currently sidelined through injury, whom he sees as crucial to balancing experience with the emerging core of the squad.“We are still missing that last bit because we still have so many injuries,” he said.“Marcelo [Eric Ouma] is coming back from injury. Amos Nondi, we are integrating him because he has been injured lately and is coming back, so we are trying to help players. Michael Olunga still has to come back from injury, Jonah [Ayunga], and Daniel Anyembe so we are missing so many top, top players that can come and strengthen this team more than what it is.“I think once we are at full strength, we have something really optimistic for the AFCON.”NSL: Migori Youth win away from promotion after hard-fought victory over Kisumu All Stars