The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the host countries for the key stages of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda set to play leading roles in the tournament.
In a statement released on Thursday, 19 June, following consultations among the three East African nations, CAF confirmed that Kenya will host the final match and the closing ceremony, while Tanzania will stage the opening ceremony and the tournament’s first match. The third-place playoff has been awarded to Uganda.
The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be the venue for the opening ceremony and first match on Saturday, 2 August, with hosts Tanzania playing in the tournament’s opener. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, 30 August, at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in Nairobi, Kenya, which will host the final and the closing ceremony. Uganda’s Mandela National Stadium in Namboole will host the third-place match, with the exact date to be confirmed once the complete fixture list is released.
As part of its strategy to broaden the tournament’s reach and encourage inclusivity, CAF has added Zanzibar as a fourth host city for this year’s edition. Each of the four cities—Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, and Zanzibar—will host matches from one of the four groups.
CAF also announced that Congo will replace Equatorial Guinea in the competition, following a ruling by the CAF Appeals Board.
Group A, which includes Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, and Zambia, will play their matches in Nairobi. Group B, featuring Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic, will play in Dar es Salaam. Group C, made up of Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, and Algeria, will be hosted in Kampala. Group D, comprising Senegal, Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria, will play their matches in Zanzibar.
CAF has indicated that more details, including the full match schedule, ticketing arrangements, and fan engagement activities, will be released in due course.