The draw for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) will be held today at the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi, Kenya.
From 6:00 p.m., all eyes will be on the Kenyatta International Convention Center which will host the draw ceremony for the African Nations Championship.
The eighth edition of this tournament, co-organized by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will take place from February 1 to 28, 2025 and is reserved exclusively for African footballers playing in their domestic leagues.
The nations qualified for CHAN 2024 are Morocco, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Kenya (host country), Tanzania ( host country), Uganda (host country), Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar. Morocco, sole representative of the North African Football Union (UNAF) after the withdrawals of Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, leaves with great ambitions. Being one of the tournament favorites, the Atlas Lions will be placed in Pot 1 alongside the three host countries and defending champion Senegal. This position ensures Morocco avoids these formidable teams during the group stage. Note that for this event, the teams have been divided into three hats, based on their performances during the last three editions of CHAN (2018, 2020 and 2022).
The Moroccan national team will participate in this competition with local players under the age of 23 in order to avoid the interruption of the national football championship in February, the period of the competition. This same category will also participate in the Arab Cup which will take place in Qatar at the end of next year.
Taking particular interest in this competition, the national coach, Walid Regragui, recently announced: “We are not interested in seeing a 23-year-old player compete in the CHAN or the Arab Cup just to then sign a contract in the Gulf. What matters to us is training and the opportunity for young people to learn.” The message is therefore well sent for the young players who will be under the microscope of the national coach.
The eighth edition of CHAN will be the subject of strong desire, in particular because of the juicy bonuses at stake. CAF announced a significant increase in the financial allocation.
The winner of this edition will now receive US$3.5 million, representing an increase of 75% compared to previous editions. In addition, the total prize pool for the tournament was increased by 32%, amounting to $10.4 million.
In addition, CAF has appointed 25 center referees, 26 assistant referees and 14 VAR referees. Among them, five Moroccans are on the list. Mustapha Kechaf and Bouchra Karkoubi will officiate as main referees. The assistant referees are Hamza Nassiri and Fatiha Jermoumi. While Hamza El Fariq is retained as a VAR referee.
With one of the best squads on the continent, Morocco has every chance to shine in this competition and confirm its status as favorite.
