Harambee Stars have already earned enough points to join the final round of qualifying matches next year for the 2010 African Cup in Angola and 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

With the victory over Namibia last Saturday and the 0-0 draw between Zimbabwe and Guinea last Sunday, Harambee Stars will finish in either the first or second position in Group 2.

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Starting in March, the top ranked team in each of the present 12 groups plus the eight best second placed teams will play a final qualification round in five groups with four teams each. The winners of each of the five groups will qualify for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the top three teams in each group also qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

If Harambee Stars earn a victory or a draw against Guinea in Conakry on October 12 then they will remain as the top team in Group Two and qualify for the final round next year. But even if defeated by Guinea in their last match, Harambee Stars have already earned enough points to be one of the eight best second placed teams which also qualify for the final round next year.

As a result of the withdrawal of Eritrea which left only three teams in Group 11, Fifa decided that the results between the second placed and the fourth placed teams in the other 11 groups will be cancelled before comparing the records of the second placed teams.

Under that Fifa ruling, Harambee Stars have already earned at least seven points with their victories over Guinea (2-0) and Zimbabwe (2-0) and their draw with Zimbabwe (0-0).

As a result of the matches in the other 11 groups last weekend, there are already four second-placed teams who cannot earn more than six points under the Fifa ruling even if they win their final matches in early October.

For example, Cape Verde is second in Group One with nine points. If they win their match against Tanzania on October 11, Cape Verde will end with a total of 12 points. But Cape Verde beat the fourth-placed team, Mauritius, on June 15 (1-0) and June 22 (3-1).

In accordance with the Fifa ruling for comparing the second placed teams, six points will then be deducted from the 12 points earned by Cape Verde leaving a balance of only six points. The same situation prevails for Gabon, the second-placed team in Group Five, and for Congo DR, the second placed team in Group 12. For the contenders for second place in Group Seven, under the Fifa ruling the most they can get is 5 points.

In addition to qualifying already for the final round next year, Harambee Stars are likely the fastest rising team in world football. In just one year the Harambee Stars rose an astonishing 51 places in the Fifa World Rankings, from 137th in July 2007 to 86th in August 2008.

Most of that rise occurred since May 2008 when the joint KFF-KPL Harambee Stars Management Board started managing the team. Since then the Harambee Stars rose 34 places worldwide (from 120th to 86th) and 16 places in Africa (from 37th to 21st).

That is the fastest rise ever in Kenyan football history. Moreover, the latest Fifa World Ranking does not yet include the Harambee Stars victory over Namibia last Saturday.

The highest rank ever achieved by Harambee Stars was in February 2004 when they were ranked 70th worldwide and 12th in Africa.