CHAN
CHAN 2022 qualifying draw sets up possible Ghana v Nigeria clash
The draw for the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers has been held in Cairo and sees a potential clash between Nigeria and Ghana for a place at the finals.
The seeding system for the tournament was based on the results of the last three editions of CHAN, meaning that Ghana and Benin were the lowest-ranked sides and will face each other in regionally-based qualifiers.
The aggregate winner of that game will face Nigeria in the final round in Western Zone B.
A total of 46 nations were entered in the draw for the expanded tournament for locally-based players which will feature 18 teams for the first time.
Earlier this week the Confederation of African Football (Caf) announced the increase in the number of teams from 16, leading to an unusual format for the finals in Algeria next year.
Caf says the finals will have five groups; three of which will have four nations, while the other two will be comprised of just three teams.
It means the top two from the four-team groups will be joined in the quarter-finals by the winners of the other two pools.
Hosts Algeria, defending champions Morocco and fellow North Africans Libya are already assured of spots at the tournament.
Zimbabwe were included in the draw for the Southern Zone qualifiers despite currently being banned from global football by Fifa and having been thrown out of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
“In case the suspension of Zimbabwe FA is not lifted two weeks before their first match, they will be considered loser and eliminated from the competition,” Caf explained.
The delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the World Cup in Qatar in November and December seem to have had a knock-on effect on the CHAN finals, which are scheduled for 8-31 January 2023.
All qualifying ties are set to be played over two legs, with the winners on aggregate progressing.
First round first leg matches will be played between 22 and 24 July with the return legs a week later.
Those zones with just a single round, and the second rounds in the remainder of zones, will be held between 26 and 28 August, with the return legs also a week later.
CHAN 2022 qualifying – Northern Zone
Two-time defending champions Morocco and Libya were the only nations to enter the qualifiers and so will be at the finals along with hosts Algeria.
Egypt once again opted not to take part in the tournament while Tunisia were suspended after their late withdrawal from the 2020 qualifying campaign.
Western Zone A
All nine teams from region entered to take part in the qualifiers, and three teams will qualify.
First Round:
- Liberia v Senegal
- Sierra Leone v Cape Verde
- The Gambia v Guinea-Bissau
Second Round:
- Liberia/Senegal v Guinea
- Sierra Leone/Cape Verde v Mali
- The Gambia/Guinea-Bissau v Mauritania
Western Zone B
All seven teams from the region entered, and three teams will qualify.
Round one:
- Ghana v Benin
Round two:
- Ivory Coast v Burkina Faso
- Togo v Niger
- Ghana/Benin v Nigeria
Central Zone
A total of six teams entered, and three will qualify.
Sao Tome e Principe were suspended from the CHAN after withdrawing from the 2020 qualifiers, while Gabon opted not to enter.
- Central African Republic v Congo
- Equatorial Guinea v Cameroon
- Chad v DR Congo
Central East Zone
A total of nine teams entered, and three teams will qualify. Eritrea and Kenya opted not to enter.
Round one:
- Ethiopia v South Sudan
- Somalia v Tanzania
- Burundi v Djibouti
Round two:
- Ethiopia/South Sudan v Rwanda
- Somalia/Tanzania v Uganda
- Burundi/Djibouti v Sudan
Southern Zone
A total of 12 teams entered, and three will qualify. Lesotho opted not to enter while Namibia were part of Caf’s original draw procedures but were not included in the final draw.
Round one:
- Mauritius v Angola
- Comoros v South Africa
- Botswana v Eswatini
- Seychelles v Madagascar
- Malawi v Zimbabwe
- Mozambique v Zambia
Round two:
- Mauritius/Angola v Comoros/South Africa
- Botswana/Eswatini v Seychelles/Madagascar
- Malawi/Zimbabwe v Mozambique/Zambia
The road to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) holding in East Africa will be mapped out next Wednesday. According to CAF, the 2024 Qualifiers draw will be conducted at 14h00 Cairo time (11h00 GMT).
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the tournament between 01 – 28 February 2025.
Ahead of the finals, two rounds of qualifiers will take place on a home and away basis.
The first round of qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25 – 27 October and 01 – 03 November 2024, with the second round confirmed for 20 – 22 December and 27 – 29 December 2024.
Since its 2009 inception, the CHAN tournament has been an exceptional platform of showcasing the world-class talent and quality of African football as well as its ever-evoling landscape.
Algeria played host to the last edition of the tournament which drew thousands of supporters, millions of global audiences and digital engagement as a result of the rising popularity and quality of the tournament.
In line with CAF’s key objective of increasing the commercial strength of its competitions, the CHAN competition has also seen an increased rise in commercial value.
This has also been supported by CAF’s 60% increase in the tournament’s prize money that sees the winners walking away with $2 Million.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania’s hosting of the competition also serves as an opportunity for the three nations to fine-tune their preparations for the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations 2027.
CAF will soon communicate details and procedures for the draw.
African Nations Championship Previous Winners:
- 2009 – DR Congo
- 2011 – Tunisia
- 2014 – Libya
- 2016 – DR Congo
- 2018 – Morocco
- 2020 – Morocco
- 2022 – Senegal
The Confédération of African Football, CAF has confirmed that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as co-host Nations of the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN). It will run from February 1 to 28 next year.
However, the host stadiums and training venues are yet to be confirmed. The qualifying series will begin on the weekend of 25-27 October 2024 and continue on November 1 to 13.
The Second Round of the Qualifiers will be played on 20-22 December and 27-27 December 2024.
The qualification slots for the tournament have been allocated as follows:
Zones WAFU A, WAFU B, UNAF, UNIFFAC, and COSAFA will each have three qualifying teams.
The CECAFA zone, which includes the three host countries, will receive an additional slot due to their automatic qualification as hosts. As a result, the total number of teams qualifying for the final tournament will be increased to 19 teams.
Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will participate in the Qualifiers and in addition to their automatic qualification as hosts, the team achieving the best result in the CECAFA qualifiers will also advance to the final tournament. Senegal won the last edition held in Algeria last year.
Following the meeting of the Confédération Africaine de Football, CAF Executive Committee in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday, 16 September 2024, the CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe confirmed the dates of the African Nations Championship CHAN 2024 final tournament.
The African Nations Championship CHAN 2024 will be played between 01 – 28 February 2025.
The first round of Qualifiers will be played on the weekend of 25-27 October 2024.
CHAN is scheduled to be hosted in East Africa. CAF will communicate in due course stadiums and other venues to be used for the competition.
On Sunday, CAF President Dr Motsepe visited some of the venues in Kenya that are being prepared for CHAN.
While noting the progress made and the commitment of the Government of Kenya, Dr Motsepe said there was a need for everyone to work together with speed to ensure that all venues and facilities are ready for the Competition.
Senegal are the current champions of CHAN after they defeated hosts, Algeria two years ago in Algiers.
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