The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the host nations and cities for key stages of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), with East Africa set to take center stage.
Kenya has been awarded the hosting rights for the tournament’s final and closing ceremony, while neighbouring Tanzania will stage the opening ceremony and the first match of the competition.
Uganda will host the third-place playoff, completing a regional collaboration between the three East African countries.
The opening match and ceremony are scheduled for August 2 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, meaning hosts Tanzania will feature in the tournament’s curtain-raiser.
The finals and closing ceremony will be held on August 30 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in Nairobi. Uganda’s Mandela National Stadium in Namboole will host the third-place match, with the exact date to be confirmed once the full fixture list is released.
In a move to promote inclusivity and broaden the tournament’s footprint, CAF has also included Zanzibar as a host city. With this addition, each of the four cities—Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, and Zanzibar—will host one of the tournament’s four groups.
CAF also confirmed that Congo will replace Equatorial Guinea following a decision by the CAF Appeals Board.
Group Stage Hosting Allocation:
- Group A (Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia) – Nairobi, Kenya
- Group B (Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic) – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Group C (Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria) – Kampala, Uganda
- Group D (Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria) – Zanzibar
The biennial tournament, which showcases home-based national players across Africa, will run throughout August, culminating in what promises to be a thrilling final in Nairobi.