By Edrine Lubulwa
The Uganda national football team, the cranes, learnt their group-stage opponents for the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) after the Confederation of Africa football (CAF) today, Wednesday evening revealing the Groups draws at the ceremony held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The tournament, was postponed to August, and will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Uganda is placed in group C alongside Niger, Guinea, Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2, making this pool something of an unknown quantity.
It’s Uganda’s seventh participation in the tournament. Uganda will learn about its final two opponents at the conclusion of the second qualifying round.
East African football legends led by Uganda’s Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa of Tanzania and Kenya’s McDonald Mariga, conducted the draws.
This will be the second time for this tournament to be played in East Africa. Rwanda was the first to host it in 2016.
DR Congo and Morocco are the most successful teams in this tournament with two titles each, followed by Tunisia, Libya and incumbent champions Senegal with one title each.
Morocco boasts an impressive record in the CHAN tournament, having won the championship twice and back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2020, making them one of only two nations to achieve consecutive CHAN victories. Known for their technical prowess and tactical discipline, they enter this year’s competition as a favorite.
Their ability to blend experienced local players with emerging talent has been key to their CHAN success.
The winner of CHAN 2024 will now bag USD 3.5 million, an increment by 32 percent and generally, the total prize fund from CAF for CHAN was increased by 75 percent.
TOTAL ENERGIES CAF AFRICAN NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP GROUPS
GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia
GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
GROUP C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2
GROUP D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria
