This year’s Total Energies African Nations Championship (CHAN) is the seventh edition of the unique competition meant exclusively for home-based players.
The three-week long event is scheduled to commence on 13 January in four Algerian cities including the capital Algiers, Annaba, Constantine and Oran.
The Desert Foxes are among the 18 countries playing in the tournament that will end on 4 February at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
Here is everything you need to know about this year’s tournament, arranged alphabetically.
A - This is the first major CAF competition Algeria is hosting since 1990 when they played host for the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and won it in front of their fans. Even though the country hosted the U20 AFCON in 2013, the 1990 AFCON was their major African football tournament and they won the title. It was their first AFCON trophy. The Desert Foxes won a second one in 2019 in Egypt.
B - Algeria’s Madjid Bougherra is the first former captain at a FIFA World Cup to coach at the CHAN. He led the Desert Foxes at the 2014 edition in Brazil.
C - 15 of the 18 coaches at this year’s TotalEnergies CHAN are African - a new tournament record. An impressive era that reflects the exponential growth of local talent on the sidelines across the continent.
D - Winners of the inaugural edition, the Democratic Republic of Congo are the only team outside of North Africa to win the TotalEnergies CHAN and are the joint most successful side in the history of the tournament having won the 2016 edition in Rwanda. Can DR Congo make it three in Algeria?
E - For the first time ever, the number of participating teams has increased from the usual sixteen to eighteen teams. They are divided into five groups with three of them having four teams while the remaining two have three teams each.
F - Three female referees have been selected for this year’s TotalEnergies CHAN including Vincentia Amedone from Togo as well as assistant referees Carine Atezambong Fomo (Cameroon) and Diane Chikotesha (Zambia).
G - Ghana’s Galaxies have reached the final on two occasions – 2009 and 2014 but are yet to win the CHAN title. Will their star shine in Algeria?
H - Algerians are known for their hospitality. This very much highlights the tournament’s motto Marhaba which means welcome in Arabic. Everywhere you go in Algeria, people are smiling and saying hello. Restaurants are abuzz with good vibes and a great feeling of belonging. We love it already.
I - Fresh from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the Black Stars of Ghana, goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad will be hoping to replicate that experience in Algeria. He put up a man-of-the-match performance in his side’s goalless draw against the hosts Algeria in a friendly game over the weekend to inaugurate the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers – one of the host stadiums for the TotalEnergies CHAN this year.
J - Joined at the hip. In the group phase of this year’s TotalEnergies CHAN, there will be four games between countries that share borders including the opening game between hosts Algeria and Libya in a highly anticipated North African derby.
The DR Congo and Uganda clash in Group B is expected to provide fireworks in a Great Lakes Region face-off while Mauritania and Mali are looking forward to a West African battle. Meanwhile, Cameroon vs Congo will be out to grab the bragging rights in this Central African derby that should provide a display of good football especially for the neutrals.
K - The opening game between hosts Algeria and Libya on January 13 will kickoff at 1900hrs GMT at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Baraki.
L - Five of the six CHAN trophies on display have been won by local coaches including Santos Mutubile with DR Congo (2009), Tunisia’s Sami Trabelsi (2011), Florent Ibenge with DR Congo (2016), Jamal Sellami with Morocco (2018) before Hussein Ammouta defended the title at the 2020 edition.
M - Madagascar are the only team in this year’s edition that will be making their debut. The Barea, who reached the quarter-finals in their debut AFCON appearance three years ago in Egypt, will be looking to replicate that form in Algeria.
N – Located in Baraki, a suburb of Algiers, the brand new modern 40,000-seater stadium has been named after South Africa’s first Black President Nelson Mandela, a global icon who once said that, “Sport has the power to inspire.It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” It will host the CHAN 2022 final on February 4.
O – Fresh from hosting the Mediterranean Games last summer, the city of Oran is excited to welcome yet another international competition and will have Groups D and E including Angola, Congo, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
P – PapeThiaw will be taking on his first major assignment as a coach when he leads Senegal to this year’s CHAN. The former Teranga Lion was part of the iconic 2002 squad that wowed the world at the World Cup beating defending champions France 1-0 in their debut game and going on to reach the quarter-finals.
Q - The Qualifiers joint top goal scorer Daniel Afriyie who netted thrice for the Black Galaxies of Ghana and earned a slot on the Black Stars squad at the World Cup in Qatar has been included in Walker Annor’s squad for the CHAN in Algeria. His experience is expected to come in handy.
R - A total of 52 referees have been appointed for this tournament including 19 center referees as well as 21 assistants and 12 Video Assistant Referees.
S - Can Senegal become the first team to win the continental treble? The West African nation are the reigning AFCON and Beach Soccer AFCON champions but face a tall order in the CHAN having last competed in the 2011 edition.
T - The Local Organizing Committee has scheduled free Transportation for fans traveling to stadiums to watch games.
U - Uganda are competing in their sixth consecutive CHAN tournament – a joint record with DR Congo, however, the Cranes have never made it past the group stage. Will they finally break that jinx in Algeria? Only time will tell.
V - In a historic move, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used in each of the 32 games at this year’s edition of the CHAN. 12 expert referees are on hand to deliver.
W - It is the winter season now in Algeria with temperatures ranging from 8°C to 18°C.
XI – XI stands for 11 in Roman numerals and at this tournament, it represents the number of teams competing in Algeria that have at least reached the semifinals of the CHAN in the past six editions.
DR Congo (2009 and 2016) and Morocco (2018 and 2020) have each won it twice while Libya lifted the trophy in 2014. Mali (2016 and 2020) and Ghana (2009 and 2014) have reached the final twice while Angola lost 3-0 to Tunisia in the 2011 final in Sudan. Cote d’Ivoire (2016) and Sudan (2011 and 2018) finished third. Hosts Algeria (2011), Senegal (2009) and Cameroon (2020) finished fourth.
Y - Yummy is the best way to describe Algerian cuisine which has been eternally praised for its diversity. From the celebrated couscous to chekchoukha, tagine, usban, rachta, zviti, baklawa and many many more dishes, the participating teams, their fans and guests at the tournaments have a lot of options to choose from to complete their experience in Algeria.
Z - Zealous is the best way to describe the 250 volunteers that are working at this year’s CHAN in Algeria. Big smiles on their faces everyday displaying enthusiasm and, on their way, to delivering an extraordinary tournament.
