The former Manchester United first-team coach was appointed head coach of the Kenya national football team (Harambee Stars) in March 2025, signing a two-year contract to lead them through the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The former Bafana Bafana striker, who had previously coached Amazulu and Cape Town City in his native South Africa, taking the former to the group stages of the CAF Champions League for the first time ever, handled Kenya during the 2024 Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) co-hosted in East Africa.
During the CHAN, McCarthy led Kenya to the knockout stages without losing a game despite being drawn against Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Angola.
With Kenya, alongside Uganda, and Tanzania set to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), McCarthy has been tasked to bring success to the East African nation during the tournament.
‘I want to improve players’
However, McCarthy has dropped a bombshell in regards to his future with Kenya saying he intends to work with a club and not a national team.
McCarthy made it clear that going months without seeing players was a challenging task unlike when he coaches a club, which gives him enough time to be with the players.
“As I said, this experience in Kenya has been unbelievable. It's been remarkable, it has been nice, but I think I'm still too young to go so long without being active. I'm on the training pitch. Smell the grass. I want to improve players,” McCarthy told Robert Marawa on 947 Joburg.
“I want to give, and I feel that it is holding me back from doing that because you don't have enough time with players, like I've not seen them in three months.
“When I see them, I'm only going to have a week to do what I can with them, and I know I think when I get to Hugo Broos’ age, then I want to go back into the national team, but after this experience with Kenya, I'm really looking to get back into managing a club.”
The 2027 edition will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania between 19 June and 18 July 2027. This edition of the tournament will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
This event will be part of AFCON’s 70th anniversary, and will also be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
‘Pitso has my vote for that’
McCarthy further ruled himself out of the South Africa job. He however, picked Pitso Mosimane to take over from Hugo Broos when he retires. The Belgian coach Broos confirmed after the 2026 FIFA World Cup that he would leave the Bafana Bafana role.
“Coach Pitso has my vote for that. I think he deserves another opportunity. He's the most prestigious coach to have come out of this country,” said McCarthy.
“You know, he's done amazing. He's done remarkably well wherever he's gone. His record speaks for itself, and he's opening the doors as I did in football as a player.”
He added: “Opening the doors for South African players to Europe so that they can have the same kind of products. They want to have those talented football players coming from South Africa. When it comes to coaching, Coach Pitso has done that. Open the doors for us, you know, to be able to go there.
“And I think he was young; he was fresh into his coaching career when he got that opportunity to manage after 2010. I think now the experience, the knowledge that he's gained, he would be my ideal coach for Bafana. If they decide to go in that direction.”
McCarthy replaced fired Engin Firat when taking charge of Kenya.
