NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has announced that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will serve as co-hosts for the 2025 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), marking the first time the three East African nations will jointly host the prestigious tournament.
Scheduled to take place from February 1 to 28, 2025, the CHAN tournament showcases the best football talent from across the continent, with a unique focus on players plying their trade in their home countries. CAF officials confirmed that details on host stadiums and training venues will be finalized and released at a later date.
The qualification process for the tournament will begin later this year, with the first round of matches slated for the weekends of October 25-27 and November 1-3, 2024. A second round of qualifiers will take place between December 20-22 and December 27-29, 2024.
The tournament’s qualification slots have been allocated across the continent’s six regional football zones. WAFU A, WAFU B, UNAF, UNIFFAC, and COSAFA will each have three teams qualifying for the final tournament. The CECAFA zone, which includes the host nations, will have an additional slot, bringing the total number of qualifying teams to 19.
In a unique arrangement, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will not only automatically qualify as hosts but will also compete in the CECAFA qualifiers. “The team achieving the best result in the CECAFA qualifiers will earn an additional spot in the tournament,” CAF confirmed in a statement.
CAF’s decision to award the hosting rights to these East African countries is seen as a major boost to football in the region. “This is a historic moment for Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It’s an opportunity to showcase our passion for football and to deliver a world-class tournament,” said a representative from the Tanzanian Football Federation.
The 2025 CHAN tournament is expected to attract significant attention from football fans across Africa and beyond, as the continent’s top homegrown talents compete for the coveted title.
The last edition of CHAN took place in Algeria in 2023, with Senegal emerging as champions for the first time.
