Daniel Kibiwott (left) and Elvis Kibet will represent Kenya at the FIFAe Continental Championship in Casablanca, Morocco./HANDOUT
Kenya has qualified for the 2026 FIFAe Continental Championship after finishing among the top eight teams in the Nations League Africa Qualifiers.
The feat saw them move a step closer to securing a historic place at the 2026 FIFAe World Cup later this year. The qualification follows an impressive campaign in the Nations League, the official pathway to FIFA’s premier esports competition, where Kenya’s national team competing in the eFootball 2v2 console category, overcame strong regional opposition to book a place at the continental finals.
Competing in the African qualifiers for the first time, Kenya successfully navigated a three-stage qualification campaign that began in April before sealing a spot among the continent’s top eight teams. Drawn in Group C, Kenya opened its campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to eventual group winners Senegal before recovering to earn a 2-2 draw against Tanzania.
The team then kept its qualification hopes alive with a convincing 3-1 victory over Ivory Coast to finish second in the group and advance to the knockout stage. Kenya continued its impressive run by defeating higher-ranked Libya 2-0 in the quarter-finals to secure one of the eight available places at the continental championship. Although the team later lost 2-0 to Ghana, the result did not affect qualification for the finals.
Daniel Kibiwott and Elvis Kibet represented Kenya in the 2v2 competition under the guidance of coach Timothy Kiarie, delivering composed performances throughout the qualifiers to earn the country a place among Africa’s elite esports nations.
The FIFAe Continental Championship will be held in Casablanca, Morocco, from August 19 to 22 and will feature hosts Morocco alongside Egypt, Tunisia, Madagascar, Libya, Ghana, Senegal and Kenya.
Beyond continental honours, the tournament carries even greater significance, with the top two teams qualifying for the FIFAe World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they will compete against the world’s best esports players.
Kenya’s qualification marks another important milestone for the country’s rapidly growing esports scene, which continues to gain recognition through increased organisation and international participation.
Preparations for the qualifiers were supported through a partnership between the Esports Kenya Federation and the Football Kenya Federation, highlighting growing collaboration in the development of competitive gaming in the country.
Attention now turns to Casablanca, where Kenya will aim to continue its impressive run and move within two victories of becoming one of Africa’s representatives at the FIFAe World Cup.
