East African hosts line up mini-tournament ahead of TotalEnergies CHAN 2024
As anticipation builds for the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), co-hosts Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania are set to fine-tune their preparations with a four-nation mini-tournament in Arusha, Tanzania, from 21 to 27 July.
The three East African hosts will be joined by Congo Brazzaville, who are also set to participate in the CHAN tournament proper.
The warm-up event comes just days before the official kick-off of the continental competition, scheduled for 2 August in Dar es Salaam.
Organised under the umbrella of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), the tournament aims to help the participating nations test their systems, assess team chemistry, and make final adjustments.
“The primary objective of this competition is to offer our Zonal teams a valuable platform to prepare adequately ahead of the African Nations Championship,” said CECAFA Executive Director Auka John Gecheo.
The mini-tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team playing three matches. The side with the most points after all matchdays will be crowned the winner.
On Matchday 1 (July 21), Kenya’s Harambee Stars will take on regional rivals Uganda Cranes, while Tanzania will face Congo Brazzaville.
On Matchday 2 (July 24), Uganda will meet Congo, while Tanzania square off against Kenya.
The final round of fixtures is expected to provide valuable insight into each team’s readiness ahead of CHAN.
Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy welcomed the initiative, calling it “an ideal dress rehearsal” for the tournament.
“It will really be a good opportunity to see the players in a real competitive set-up,” said McCarthy.
“This is also a chance for us to evaluate the systems we’ve worked on and observe how the players respond under match pressure. It’s crucial for building momentum ahead of our opening game against DR Congo.”
The four teams have been drawn into different groups for CHAN 2024: Kenya in Group A, Tanzania in Group B, Uganda in Group C, and Congo Brazzaville in Group D.
Kenya open their CHAN campaign on 3 August against DR Congo at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Tanzania will face Burkina Faso in the tournament opener on 2 August in Dar es Salaam, while Uganda play Algeria on 4 August, followed by Congo’s clash with Sudan in Zanzibar the next day.