BENNI McCarthy’s return to South Africa as Kenya coach presents Bafana Bafana with a familiar face and a formidable footballing pedigree – something national coach Pitso Mosimane has been quick to acknowledge ahead of their two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Harambee Stars visit Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday, November 13, before hosting South Africa in Nairobi four days later. The matches will see McCarthy, one of the country’s most celebrated former internationals, come up against his home nation for the first time since taking charge of Kenya in March 2025.

Mosimane has warned against underestimating the East Africans, despite their modest start to the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

Bafana lead Group D with six points after victories over Guinea and Eritrea. Kenya have one point from a draw against Eritrea and a defeat to Guinea, placing them third in the group.

However, the standings do not tell the full story. Kenya are already guaranteed a place at the 2027 tournament as co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda. The remaining qualification place in Group D will go to the highest-placed team among South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea.

That means McCarthy’s side can approach the November fixtures without the same qualification pressure facing Bafana, although the results will still count towards the group standings.

“If a player or a coach’s future depends on a game, you’ve got to be very careful of that, because sometimes the players play for him and you can get the best surprise you can ever have, so be very careful of playing an emotional team and especially when they have nothing to lose,” Mosimane said.

He was particularly emphatic about McCarthy’s character and experience, pointing to the former striker’s determination and achievements in the game.

“And also, you’re mentioning Benni, you know the personality, the character of the will to win, the personality of fighting in football, for his name, for his work, you’ve got to also respect that Benni is a good coach,” he said.

McCarthy’s credentials extend well beyond his reputation as a former Bafana striker. He won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004 and remains South Africa’s leading international goalscorer, with 31 goals.

His coaching career has also taken him into some of the biggest dressing rooms in European football. He joined Manchester United’s first-team coaching staff under Erik ten Hag in 2022, working primarily on attacking play and the development of the team’s forwards. He remained at the club until 2024.

“Benni was coaching Manchester United, a dream that any coach in South Africa wishes to have right? Coaching (Cristiano) Ronaldo, excuse me. So you have to respect the level at which he has coached, you’ve got to respect the level at which he has played,” Mosimane continued.

"None of us (in SA) has the gold medal of the (UEFA) Champions League, so you’ve got understand those facts I’m giving you, what kind of person we’re talking about, in terms of the personality to win at all costs, so we have to give respect to that.”

McCarthy also has experience as a head coach in South Africa. He led Cape Town City to the 2018 MTN8 title before taking charge of AmaZulu. His appointment by Kenya in March 2025 was his first senior national-team coaching position.

“And they have players from England, Spain, from Wales, Sweden, France, excuse me, so be careful of you undermining teams,” he added.

Kenya’s captain, Michael Olunga, leads their attack and was included in McCarthy’s squad for the opening AFCON qualifiers. The coach has also been using the international programme to build a side ahead of a tournament Kenya will host.

For Bafana, the challenge will be to carry their strong start into two demanding away-and-home encounters. The first meeting kicks off at 6pm on Friday, with the return fixture scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, in Nairobi.