Not Ready – CHAN Football Tournament Postponed

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the postponement of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), initially scheduled for February 1–28, 2025, to August 2025.

The tournament, which is to be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, was delayed to allow the host nations more time to complete their preparations. In a statement released on Tuesday evening, CAF acknowledged the significant progress made by the three East African countries in upgrading their infrastructure but emphasized that additional time was needed to meet the required standards for the event. 

“Good progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with the construction and upgrading of stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals, and other infrastructure and facilities for the hosting of a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024,” the statement read. 

“However, the CAF Technical and Infrastructure experts, some of whom have been based in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, have advised CAF that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities are at the levels necessary for hosting a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024,” added the statement. 

CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed his gratitude to the Presidents of the three host countries—Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, William Ruto of Kenya, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda—for their commitment to the project. 

“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 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024,” Motsepe said. 

CAF has not yet confirmed the exact dates for the rescheduled tournament, but the draws will proceed as planned on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The decision to postpone the tournament follows CAF President Motsepe’s recent visits to the three host countries to assess their readiness. 

The CHAN tournament is seen as a key test for East Africa’s preparedness to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). During his visit to Uganda, Motsepe commended the excellent condition of Namboole Stadium and its training facilities, expressing optimism that Uganda’s efforts would make CHAN 2025 one of the most successful editions ever.

Despite speculation that Kenya’s hosting rights might be transferred to Rwanda due to a lack of qualified stadiums, CAF’s host country manager for Kenya, Kabelo Bosilong, dismissed these claims, reaffirming that the tournament will proceed as a joint venture between the three nations. In Uganda, preparations are progressing well. 

Besides ongoing renovations at Namboole, the government has begun constructing two 20,000-seater stadiums and a training ground. One of the projects is the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium in Lira City, for which Uganda signed a $129 million agreement with Egypt’s SAMCO National Construction Company. 

Additionally, the Hoima Multi-Purpose Stadium is being built by Turkish firm M/S SUMMA. Furthermore, Uganda has partnered with Kyambogo University to upgrade one of its football pitches into a modern training facility. The UGX 14.3 billion project will include the installation of natural grass, floodlights, and an irrigation system.