Big Changes and Bold Hopes for CHAN 2024
So, the CHAN 2024 tournament isn’t just another African football competition—it’s the biggest one yet for players who only ply their trade at home. Set for August 2 to 30, 2025, after an unexpected delay, this edition takes the stage in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It's a big deal: three nations, nineteen teams, four groups, five stadiums, and football fans everywhere looking for new heroes.
Why the delay? Well, the organizers realized they couldn’t pull it off by February as stadiums and hospitals just weren’t ready to handle a tournament of this scale. Give them credit—rather than risk a flop, they spent extra months upgrading venues and making sure the event would showcase East Africa’s progress and passion for football. Now every venue meets CAF’s standards, and everyone’s hoping to see a smooth tournament both on and off the pitch.
Who’s Playing, Where, and When?
This year’s CHAN didn’t just up the headcount; the format itself is a shift. The tournament splits into four groups: three with five teams apiece and one with four teams. Let’s break down the groups and their playgrounds:
- Group A (Nairobi, Kenya): DR Congo, Morocco, Zambia, Kenya, Angola
- Group B (Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, Tanzania): Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Mauritania
- Group C (Kampala, Uganda): Uganda, Algeria, South Africa, Niger, Guinea
- Group D (various venues): Sudan, Senegal, Nigeria, Congo
Kenyans kick things off at Nairobi’s Moi International Sports Center with a tough opener against DR Congo, who have a serious track record in CHAN. Through August, you’ll see headline clashes like Kenya vs Morocco and Algeria facing Niger, all leading up to knockout matches that begin at the end of the month. Every team fields only their best home-based stars—no imports from Europe or Asia—guaranteeing a pure test of local league strength and fresh faces in the continental spotlight.
Here’s a quick peek at the key dates:
- Group games: August 3–25, 2025
- Quarterfinals: August 22–23
- Semifinals: August 26–27
- Third place game: August 29
- Final: August 30 (Nairobi)
If you’re rooting for records, keep your eye on DR Congo and Morocco. Both have lifted the CHAN trophy twice and enter with big expectations. Other names to watch include defending champs Senegal, always-steady Nigeria, and host nation Kenya hoping for a dream run at home. History does repeat: expect old rivalries to reignite and new stories to unfold.
The man leading tournament operations is Souleymane Dicko, the CAF-appointed director. Top African referees are set to take charge, while match balls and fancy football gear come straight from CAF’s own equipment partners. The organizers are eager to keep everything up to international standards, hoping to win over critics who doubted the region’s readiness just months ago.
If you’re planning to catch the action in person, tickets go from $5 for the average seat up to $50 for the prime spots when the trophy’s on the line. Fans anywhere else can tune in on SuperSport in Africa, beIN Sports across the Middle East and North America, Canal+ for French viewers, ESPN in the US, and, for everyone else, CAF’s official YouTube channel has you sorted. That means you really won’t miss a moment, no matter where you are in the world.
So, it’s a fresh start for East Africa, a chance for local stars to make their mark, and a serious test for countries who have waited years to show the continent (and the world) they can host a football party for the ages.
