On the eve of the draw ceremony, the African Nations Championship, CHAN has been postponed! The draw ceremony, according to CAF, will still go on.

The Continental Football governing body announced on Tuesday that the event will now be held in August.

No actual date has been fixed. CAF announced that although good progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the host countries, the CAF Technical and Infrastructure experts advised that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities are at the levels, necessary for hosting a successful Championship.

Some of the experts on facilities are based in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “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 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 championship.

“I am impressed with the ongoing construction and renovations of the football infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

“I am confident that the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities will be at the requisite CAF standards for hosting, in August 2025, a very successful African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024.”

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The Kenyatta International Convention Centre (“KICC”) in Nairobi, Kenya will host the draw for the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 on Wednesday night. 

The much-anticipated draw will commence at 20h00 local time (17h00 GMT / 19h00 Cairo).

It will feature local East African legends Hassan Wasswa (Uganda), Mrisho Ngasa (Tanzania) and McDonald Mariga (Kenya), the latter having been born and raised in Nairobi, as draw assistants.

Co-hosts Kenya are making a debut at the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship finals, while Uganda and Tanzania have already had a taste of the tournament.

Among countries that will headline Wednesday’s draw are defending champions Senegal and two-time winners Morocco.

The 32-story KICC will be a fitting stage for what will be a glittering draw ceremony. The building boasts an amphitheatre and the Tsavo Ballroom, the largest conference chamber of its kind in East Africa.

An iconic piece of architectural mastery located at the heart of Kenya’s capital city, the KICC is renowned for its striking cylindrical design and panoramic views of the city.

Completed in 1973, it is not only a hub for international conferences, exhibitions, and events but also a symbol of Kenya’s modernity and cultural heritage.

It is only befitting that the capital’s signature building stages the draw as the country hosts a continental football tournament for the first time in its history.

Nairobi is a major commercial hub in East Africa and is known for its tech innovation. It is the regional headquarters for several huge multinational companies.

Nairobi also has several famous, established football clubs that play in the country’s elite league and CAF Interclub competitions, such as Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, Tusker and Mathare United.

-CAF

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With two days to go before the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) conducts the official draw for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 finals, three legends who will take part in the ceremony have been confirmed, with one each from co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The draw will be conducted on Wednesday, 15 January at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre in Nairobi, Kenya at 20h00 local time (17h00 GMT / 19h00 Cairo time).

Uganda’s Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa of Tanzania and Kenya’s McDonald Mariga will be the three legends conducting the draw of the eighth edition of the competition to take place between 1-28 February 2025.

A total of 19 nations, including hosts Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and defending champions Senegal will be engaged in the draw to officially map out the tournament’s month-long schedule.

Wasswa, Ngasa and Mariga have contributed to the ever-growing standard of African football, and have left their mark on the game in their respective countries.

Wasswa, who’s national team career spans over a decade, has been a long time servant of Ugandan football. In addition to representing the Cranes 75 times, the defensive midfielder also enjoyed a career in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before his 2021 retirement.

Tanzania’s Mrisho Ngasa is rated as one of the best players to come out of the East African nation. With a century of international appearances, Ngasa

is the second most capped Tanzanian player of all time and the nation’s leading scorer with 25 goals.

With a career dating back to 2005, his highlights include playing for three of the biggest clubs in Tanzania, Simba AC , Young Africans and Azam FC.

Beyond Tanzanian borders, the former striker plied his trade with Free State Stars in South Africa before moving to Oman, where he played for Fanja before his retirement with Tanzania’s Ndanda Sports Club.

Mariga enjoyed a glittering career that included a UEFA Champions League title with Inter Milan, as well as the Serie A trophy and two Coppa Italia wins. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2010.

The former defensive midfielder was the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League, and also represented clubs in Sweden and Spain. He won 40 caps for the Kenya national team, scoring five goals.    

He is the older brother of another Kenyan legend, Victor Wanyama.

TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship 2024 Confirmed Qualified Teams: 

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (all co-hosts), Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar. Two more teams will be confirmed for the finals.