MATCH FACTS: Congo, Sudan face off in Group D opener at TotalEnergies CAF CHAN, PAMOJA 2024

Congo and Sudan will meet for the first time at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) when they clash in the opening match of Group D on Tuesday.

Both teams are looking to improve on their past performances and make a strong start to the tournament.

This will be Congo’s second meeting against East African opponents; their only previous game was a 1-0 win over Ethiopia in the 2014 group stages.

Sudan’s only previous matches against Central African opposition came in 2011, when they defeated Gabon 1-0.

Congo – Key Facts

• Making their fifth CHAN appearance and fourth in a row.
• Eliminated at the group stage in 2014 and 2022.
• Reached the quarterfinals in 2018 and 2020, losing both times on penalties.
• All four previous opening games ended 1-0: won against Cameroon (2018), lost to Ghana (2014), DRC (2020), and Cameroon (2022).
• Failed to score in both matches at the 2022 edition: a 1-0 loss to Cameroon and 0-0 draw with Niger.
• Have not scored in their last three CHAN games, starting with the penalty shootout loss to Mali in 2020.
• All three open-play losses in CHAN history were 1-0 defeats in the group stages.
• The 2022 edition was the first in which they failed to win a match.
• Have won five CHAN matches; four were 1-0 victories, and their biggest win was 2-0 over Burkina Faso in 2018.

Sudan – Key Facts

• Making their fourth CHAN appearance after playing in 2011, 2018, and 2022.
• Reached the semifinals in 2011 and 2018; exited in the group stage in 2022.
• Best finish was third place on home soil in 2011.
• Won their opening games in 2011 (1-0 vs Gabon) and 2018 (2-1 vs Guinea); lost 3-1 to Ghana in the 2022 opener.
• Unbeaten in their first six group games (W4 D2) before losing both in 2022.
• In 2011 and 2018, started with back-to-back wins and drew the final group game.
• Only losses in open play before 2022 were against Nigeria in the 2018 semifinals.
• Winless in open play over their last four matches (D1 L3); their last win came via penalties in the 2018 third-place playoff vs Libya.
• Last open-play win was a 1-0 victory over Zambia in the 2018 quarterfinals.
• Winless in their last three group matches: drew 0-0 with Morocco (2018), followed by two defeats in 2022.
• Last group stage win was a 1-0 result over Mauritania in their second match of 2018.
• Qualified through the CECAFA Zone: won 1-0 at home, lost 1-0 away to Tanzania, and prevailed 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw.