The opening match of the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) will be held in Tanzania, as confirmed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with East Africa preparing to co-host the tournament across three nations: Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
The Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam has been designated to host the first game of the tournament on 2 August 2025.
The month-long competition will mark a return to East African soil for the first time since Rwanda hosted the event in 2016.
As part of the tri-nation arrangement, each host country will stage one of the tournament’s key fixtures.
Uganda’s Mandela National Stadium in Kampala will hold the third-place playoff, while Kenya’s Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi has been chosen as the venue for the grand final on 30 August.
CAF, in coordination with the three host nations, has mapped out an ambitious and inclusive approach to organizing the 2024 edition of CHAN.
The announcement follows an agreement between CAF and local organizing committees and aims to highlight the growing influence of East African football on the continental stage.
Zanzibar has also been confirmed as one of the official host venues, adding to the tournament’s diversity and regional representation.
The Amaan Stadium, which recently staged the CAF Confederation Cup Final, will now be part of CHAN 2024, further reinforcing Zanzibar’s increasing profile in African football.
The tournament’s group stage will be hosted across four cities, with teams distributed as follows:
- Group A (Nairobi, Kenya): Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia
- Group B (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania): Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
- Group C (Kampala, Uganda): Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria
- Group D (Zanzibar): Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria
Congo replaces Equatorial Guinea in Group D following a decision from the CAF Appeals Board.
In addition to determining venues, CAF has confirmed that further details—including the full match schedule, ticketing information, and fan engagement initiatives—will be released in the coming weeks.
With the tournament just over a year away, CHAN 2024 is already generating excitement across the continent.
The three host nations are expected to deliver a competition that celebrates African talent, unity, and the vibrancy of football in East Africa.
