The stage is now set for quarterfinal clashes on Friday August 22, and Saturday, August 23, 2025 in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Zanzibar.
The TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 has reached the crucial quarterfinal stage, with all the three East African co-hosts under their Pamoja (togetherness) bid securing places in the knockout round.
Kenya (group A), Tanzania (group B) and Uganda (group C) earned quarterfinal spots in style, leading their respective groups.
Kenya and Tanzania topped their groups with 10 points apiece after an identical three wins and a draw, while Uganda was forced to dig deeper before leading group C with 7 points, owing to a defeat against Algeria, two wins against Guinea and Niger, before forcing a 3-3 draw against South Africa in the last match.
The stage is now set for quarterfinal clashes on Friday August 22, and Saturday, August 23, 2025 in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Zanzibar.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars will face group B runners up Madagascar in the first quarterfinal match at the Moi International Stadium, Kasarani on Friday at 5pm EAT, before Tanzania comes up against group A runners up and two-times CHAN champions Atlas Lions of Morocco from 8pm, at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, in Dar es Salaam.
A day later, group D leaders Sudan will face group C runners up Algeria at the Amaan Stadium, in Zanzibar, before Uganda Cranes complete knockouts fixtures with a heavyweight clash against group D runners up and CHAN defending champions, Senegal, in Kampala.
The winner of the Kenya vs Madagascar clash will face the winner of the Sudan vs Algeria match, while the winner of the Tanzania vs Morocco encounter will come up against the winner of Uganda vs Senegal match up in the semifinals.
No East Africa team has reached CHAN quarters in the competition’s 16-year history. And with the road to the final already clear for the three co-hosts, experts predict an all-East African final to be played on August 30, in Nairobi.
“I see Kenya and either Uganda or Tanzania in the final,” Duncan Kwobah, a veteran sports journalist in Kenya told Sports Network Africa in a phone interview.
Kwobah said defensive solidity and attacking dynamism will carry Kenya into the final, having scored 4 goals and conceded only 1 in four group matches.
He noted that Tanzania and Uganda have the attacking firepower to propel either of them past their quarter final opponents, setting up an all-East African semifinal clash.
Harambee Stars fans cheering their team during a previous CHAN match. Photo courtesy: Football Kenya Federation
With 8 goals each, Uganda and Morocco are the top scoring sides in the competition, while Tanzania, Sudan, Algeria and Madagascar have 5 goals each.
According to former Harambee Stars goalkeeper Arnold Origi, Kenya will reach the final for exhibiting “tactical balance” throughout the competition.
“I love the defensive structure. It’s the best in the tournament,” he told NTV in an interview on Tuesday August 19.
“They are playing tournament football. Once they score, they lock games at the back. To be honest, at that level, if you have a good offensive structure, it wins you games, but a good defensive structure wins you championships.”
For Fred Waguda, former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League player, Harambee Stars will reach the final because of the “the monetary motivation” being offered by the government, perhaps the best among the three co-hosts.
The team will go home with Sh600 million (approximately US$4.6 million) if they win the title. Each team member earned Sh1 million for each win against DRC and Morocco, and Sh500,000 for the draw against Angola.
The 1-0 win against Zambia earned each team member Sh3 million from president William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“We have never seen that kind of motivation before,” Waguda said. He is crossing his figures for a Kenya vs Tanzania clash in the final.
From 19, eight teams remain to battle for continental glory, as three East African neighbours, buoyed by ecstatic home crowds seek to re-write history.
/spna
