The 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) is set to return to East Africa for the first time in nearly a decade, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially announcing that Kenya will host the tournament’s grand final on 30 August 2025 at the iconic Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.
The announcement, made on Thursday after consultations with co-hosts Uganda and Tanzania, signals a significant milestone for regional football development and collaboration among the three East African nations.
Scheduled to run from 2 to 30 August 2025, the 2024 CHAN tournament marks the first time since Rwanda 2016 that East Africa will play host to Africa’s premier competition for domestically-based players. The decision by CAF to entrust Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania with hosting duties reflects growing confidence in the region’s sporting infrastructure and organizational capacity.
Tanzania will kick off the tournament with the opening match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on 2 August, setting the stage for what promises to be a festival of African football. Uganda has been awarded hosting rights for the third-place playoff, which will be held at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala.
Adding to the regional flavor, Zanzibar has also been confirmed as an official host venue. Its Amaan Stadium, which successfully staged the CAF Confederation Cup final in May 2025, will be one of four key locations for the group stage matches.
Group Stage Breakdown: A Continental Showcase
CAF has confirmed that the 16 participating teams will be divided into four groups, each hosted in a different East African city:
• Group A: Nairobi, Kenya
Hosts Kenya are placed alongside Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, and Zambia.
• Group B: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania will battle it out with Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Central African Republic.
• Group C: Kampala, Uganda
Uganda faces tough competition from Niger, Guinea, South Africa, and Algeria.
• Group D: Zanzibar City, Zanzibar
The group features a powerhouse lineup of Senegal, Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria.
Each host city is expected to provide a unique cultural and sporting atmosphere, making CHAN 2024 not just a competition, but a celebration of East Africa’s unity and hospitality.
Kenya Reaffirms Readiness
Amid concerns over Kenya’s preparedness to co-host a tournament of this magnitude, Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya offered reassurances during the official handover of Raila Odinga Stadium ahead of Madaraka Day celebrations.
“We had a meeting with CAF officials as part of their regular inspection schedule leading up to the final preparations in July. In our discussions, we reaffirmed Kenya’s full readiness to co-host CHAN,” said Mvurya.
He emphasized the country’s commitment to delivering world-class facilities and seamless logistics:
“We have made significant investments in upgrading infrastructure, including both Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, and we’ve already paid the required hosting fee amounting to KES 1.6 billion.”
Looking Ahead
With just over a year until kickoff, excitement is already building across East Africa as the region prepares to welcome some of the continent’s most promising homegrown talent. CHAN 2024 promises to be more than just a sporting event—it’s poised to become a symbol of regional pride, progress, and Pan-African unity.
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