Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are gearing up for a four-nation mini-tournament in Arusha, Tanzania, from 21 to 27 July, in a move aimed at ramping up their CHAN preparations.
Oliver Ochieng
The 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are preparing for a mini-tournament ahead of the August 02, 2025 CHAN kick-off.
CHAN, a soccer event specifically designed by the Confederations of African Football (CAF) for players plying their trades in local leagues, makes a return to the East African region for the first time, since Rwanda successfully hosted the biennial tourney in 2016.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are gearing up for a four-nation mini-tournament in Arusha, Tanzania, from 21 to 27 July, in a move aimed at ramping up their CHAN preparations.
Congo Brazzaville who are also set to participate in the CHAN tournament will join the three East African neighbours, in Arusha.
The mini-tournament is being organized under the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), to help the three host nations test their systems and assess team chemistry, before unveiling of final squads.
“The primary objective of this competition is to offer our zonal teams a valuable platform to prepare adequately ahead of the African Nations Championship,” said CECAFA Executive Director Auka John Gecheo, as quoted by CAF online.
He said the tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team playing three matches.
“The side with the most points after all matchdays will be crowned the winner.”
Kenya will open its campaign against Uganda Cranes, while Tanzania will face Congo Brazzaville on July 21, before Uganda meets Congo, while Tanzania come up against Kenya on July 24. Final matches will be staged on July 27.
The four teams were drawn in different groups for CHAN 2024: Kenya is in Group A, Tanzania in Group B, Uganda in Group C, and Congo Brazzaville in Group D.
Host cities for group stages:
Group A Nairobi: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DRC, Zambia
Group B Dar es Salaam: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
Group C Kampala: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria
Group D Zanzibar: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria
According to a detailed match schedule released by CAF together with the local organizing committees of the three countries on Friday June 27, Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam will host the opening fixture, between Tanzania and Burkina Faso on Saturday, August 02.
Kenya will then open its campaign against DRC at Kasarani on Sunday August 03, a few hours before Morocco battles Angola at the Nyayo National Stadium, in Nairobi.
Uganda will play their first match against Algeria on Monday, August 04, at the Mandela Stadium in Kampala.
The stadium will also host the third play-off match, while Kasarani in Nairobi will host the final match on August 30.
Between 2-9 July, CAF delegation conducted a highly successful 8-day inspection tour of host venues for the upcoming tournament.
They conducted final inspections at the Kasarani and Nyayo International Stadiums in Nairobi, then proceeded to the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, as we well as Dar Es Salaam’s Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, before concluding the exercise at the Mandela International Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.
Senegal are the CHAN defending champions, while Morocco and DRC are the most successful sides in CHAN’s 16-year-history with 2 titles apiece.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will also co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.
