Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania will have to wait a little longer to jointly host their first ever continental football championship after Chan 2024 was postponed on Tuesday evening.
Speculation was rife throughout the day that the tournament would be moved, with organisational challenges believed to be behind any such decision, but continental body, Caf, did not confirm until late in the day.
Announcing the postponement from February 1-28 to August 2025, Caf mentioned some infrastructural progress in the three host countries but added that a lot was left to be desired, forcing change in the tournament period.
“Progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with the construction and upgrading of stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities,” said in part a statement from Caf.
“However,” it added, “the Caf Technical and Infrastructure experts, some of whom have been based in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, have advised that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities are at the levels necessary for hosting a successful tournament.”
Caf Patrice Motsepe remained confident that “the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities will be at the required standards in August” to host a successful tournament.
The exact date in August 2025 of the commencement of the tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is yet to be announced.
Chan 2024 postponement notwithstanding, Caf will proceed with the draw of the tournament in Nairobi on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
The draw will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), with retired East African football stars Hassan Wasswa (Uganda), McDonald Mariga (Kenya), and Mrisho Ngasa (Tanzania) leading the occasion.
Nineteen teams, including the host nations, two-time champions DR Congo, Morocco, and defending champions Senegal, will be part of the draw to officially map out the tournament’s month-long schedule.
Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, as the host nations, are seeded and will not face each other in the group stage.
Glance at the draw stars
Hasswa Wasswa (Uganda): With 75 appearances for the Cranes, Wasswa was a versatile and determined midfielder. He played for top clubs, including KCCA, St George (Ethiopia), and abroad in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, before retiring in 2021.
Mrisho Ngasa (Tanzania): One of Tanzania’s finest players, Ngasa has 100 international caps and remains the nation’s all-time top scorer with 25 goals. His career highlights include playing for Simba SC, Young Africans, Azam FC, and stints in South Africa and Oman.
McDonald Mariga (Kenya): Mariga is the most decorated of the three, boasting a Uefa Champions League title with Inter Milan under José Mourinho in 2010. He also won the Serie A, two Coppa Italia trophies, and the Fifa Club World Cup. Mariga was the first Kenyan to feature in the Uefa Champions League and earned 40 caps for his national team, scoring five goals.
Qualified Teams:
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (all co-hosts), Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar. Two more teams will be confirmed for the finals.
TotalEnergies Caf African Nations Championship (Chan) 2024
When: Moved to August 2025
Where: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Edition: Eighth
Draws: January 15, 2025
Venue: KICC in Nairobi
Time: 8pm EAT
Draw procedure
Teams will be seeded based on results in the last three editions of Chan (2022, 2020 and 2018) weighted 3:2:1.
The seeding system was as follows:
7 points for winner
5 points for runner-up
3 points for semi-finalists
2 points for quarter-finalists
1 point for group stage
Based on the formula above, the pots were allocated as follows:
Seeded
Kenya (0 pts) (A1 – Host)
Uganda (6 pts) (B1 – Host)
Tanzania (0 pts) (C1 – Host)
Pot 1
Morocco (21 pts)
Senegal (21 pts)
Pot 2
Guinea (15 pts)
Zambia (10 pts)
Madagascar (9 pts)
Rwanda (9 pts) – potential wild card
Sudan (8 pts)
Pot 3
Mauritania (6 pts)
Niger (6 pts)
Congo (6 pts)
Angola (3 pts)
Burkina Faso (0 pts)
Nigeria (0 pts)
Central African Republic (0 pts)
DR Congo (0 pts)
19th participant TBD
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