The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the postponement of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, originally scheduled to take place in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The tournament has been rescheduled for August 2025 to allow the host nations additional time to meet the necessary infrastructure and facility standards required for a successful event.
Infrastructure and Facility Challenges
CAF’s decision follows assessments by technical and infrastructure experts who have been monitoring the progress in the host countries. Despite significant efforts and commendable progress in constructing and upgrading stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals, and other essential facilities, the experts concluded that more time is needed to achieve the requisite standards.
CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe expressed his appreciation for the commitment shown by the host nations’ leadership:
“I would like to express my deep gratitude to President William Ruto of Kenya, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for their leadership, commitment, and the good progress that has been made in building and upgrading the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals, and other infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda for hosting a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship.”
Implications for Participating Teams
The postponement impacts several national teams that had already commenced preparations for the tournament. Notably, the Nigerian Super Eagles and other qualified teams will need to adjust their training schedules and plans in line with the new tournament dates.
Upcoming Draw and Future Announcements
Despite the postponement, CAF has confirmed that the draw for CHAN 2024 will proceed as planned on January 15, 2025, in Nairobi at 20:00 local time. The exact dates for the rescheduled tournament in August 2025 will be announced in due course.