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Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa and McDonald Mariga confirmed as CHAN 2024 Draw Assistants

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With two days to go before the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) conducts the official draw for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 finals, three legends who will take part in the ceremony have been confirmed, with one each from co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The draw will be conducted on Wednesday, 15 January at the Kenyatta International Conventional Centre in Nairobi, Kenya at 20h00 local time (17h00 GMT / 19h00 Cairo time).

Uganda’s Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa of Tanzania and Kenya’s McDonald Mariga will be the three legends conducting the draw of the eighth edition of the competition to take place between 1-28 February 2025.

A total of 19 nations, including hosts Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and defending champions Senegal will be engaged in the draw to officially map out the tournament’s month-long schedule.

Wasswa, Ngasa and Mariga have contributed to the ever-growing standard of African football, and have left their mark on the game in their respective countries.

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Wasswa, who’s national team career spans over a decade, has been a long time servant of Ugandan football. In addition to representing the Cranes 75 times, the defensive midfielder also enjoyed a career in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before his 2021 retirement.

Tanzania’s Mrisho Ngasa is rated as one of the best players to come out of the East African nation. With a century of international appearances, Ngasa

is the second most capped Tanzanian player of all time and the nation’s leading scorer with 25 goals.

With a career dating back to 2005, his highlights include playing for three of the biggest clubs in Tanzania, Simba AC , Young Africans and Azam FC.

Beyond Tanzanian borders, the former striker plied his trade with Free State Stars in South Africa before moving to Oman, where he played for Fanja before his retirement with Tanzania’s Ndanda Sports Club.

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Mariga enjoyed a glittering career that included a UEFA Champions League title with Inter Milan, as well as the Serie A trophy and two Coppa Italia wins. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2010.

The former defensive midfielder was the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League, and also represented clubs in Sweden and Spain. He won 40 caps for the Kenya national team, scoring five goals.    

He is the older brother of another Kenyan legend, Victor Wanyama.

TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship 2024 Confirmed Qualified Teams: 

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (all co-hosts), Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Sudan, Zambia, Angola and Madagascar. Two more teams will be confirmed for the finals. 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Nigeria’s head coach, Chelle, Names 35-Man Provisional Squad for CHAN 2024

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Head Coach Eric Chelle has released a 35-man provisional squad for Nigeria’s Super Eagles B ahead of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN), set to hold next month across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Among the invited players are team captain Junior Harrison Nduka, Papa Mustapha Daniel, and striker Anas Yusuf. First-choice goalkeeper Henry Ani also made the list, alongside defenders Waliu Ojetoye, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Mohammed Kabiru, and Uzondu Harrison.

The midfield ranks are bolstered by the inclusion of Saviour Isaac and Haddi Haruna, while the attacking lineup features Sunday Megwo, Adamu Abubakar, and Godwin Obaje.

Also making the squad are goalkeepers Kayode Bankole and Ebenezer Harcourt, defenders Sodiq Ismaila and Stephen Manyo Egbe, midfielder Adam Aminu, and forwards Atule Joseph and Temitope Vincent.

Nigeria, runners-up in the 2018 edition, are drawn in Group D of the expanded 19-team tournament. They will face defending champions Senegal, as well as Sudan and Congo.

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The Super Eagles B are scheduled to play their first two matches—against Senegal and Sudan—at the Amman Stadium in Zanzibar, before traveling to Dar es Salaam to take on Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

All invited players have been directed to report at the Remo Stars Sports Institute in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, on Monday, July 7, with their international passports and valid club licenses.

35 PLAYERS FOR SUPER EAGLES B CAMPING IN IKENNE-REMO

Goalkeepers: Henry Ozoemena Ani (Enyimba FC); Kayode Bankole (Remo

Stars); Nurudeen Badmus (Kwara United); Lawal Mustapha (Shooting Stars);

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Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos)

Defenders: Sodiq Ismaila (Remo Stars); Waliu Ojewole (Ikorodu City);

Bankole Afeez (Kwara United); Taiwo Abdulrafiu (Rivers United); Uzondu

Harrison (Ikorodu City); Junior Harrison Nduka (Remo Stars); Mohammed

Kabiru (Kwara United); Ngengen Leonard (Ikorodu City); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi

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(Rangers International); Steven Mayo Egbe (Rivers United)

Midfielders: Adebayo Olamilekan (Remo Stars); Adejoh Ojonugwa (Abia

Warriors); Saviour Isaac (Rangers International); Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi

Warriors); Haddi Haruna (Remo Stars); Otaniyi Taofik (Rivers United);

Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes); Adam Aminu (Kano Pillars);

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Michael Tochukwu (Remo Stars)

Forwards: Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United); Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United);

Shola Adelani (Ikorodu City); Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars); Temitope

Vincent (Plateau United); Ijoma Anthony (Abia Warriors); Atule Joseph

(Enyimba FC); Ayomide Cole (Ikorodu City); Sunday Megwo (Abia Warriors);

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Aniekeme Okon (Rivers United); Godwin Obaje (Rangers International)

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Defending Champions Senegal Open Training Camp Ahead of CHAN 2025 Clash with Nigeria

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With just over a month to the kick-off of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), defending champions Senegal have begun early preparations by opening a two-week residential training camp ahead of the tournament.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) confirmed that the camp, which commenced on Monday, June 30, is taking place at the Jules François Bocandé Technical Development Centre in Toubab Dialaw. The training programme will run until July 11 and serves as a key phase in the Teranga Lions A’ team’s build-up to the continental competition.

CHAN 2025, which runs from August 2 to 30, will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Senegal, drawn in Group D alongside Nigeria, Sudan, and Congo, will play their group matches in Zanzibar.

A total of 28 players have been called up for this initial training phase, with selections drawn largely from standout performers in Senegal’s domestic league. Teungueth FC, reigning champions of Ligue 1, lead the contributions with four players in the squad. Other top clubs including Generation Foot, AS Pikine, Casa Sports, and ASC Jaraaf are also well represented.

According to the FSF, the camp is focused on tactical drills, fitness conditioning, and fostering team chemistry as the West African side seeks to retain the title they won in Algeria in 2023.

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The coaching crew will use this period to assess player form and fitness while planning a series of test matches to fine-tune the squad ahead of the final list for the tournament.

The CHAN tournament, staged biennially, is exclusively reserved for players who compete in their respective national leagues. It serves as a key platform for local talent to gain international exposure and plays a vital role in player development across the continent.

Senegal’s early move into camp signals their serious intent to mount a strong title defence in what promises to be a fiercely competitive tournament. Their opening group game against Nigeria is already drawing attention as one of the headline clashes of the group stage.

Below is the full list of 28 players invited to camp:


Marc Phillips Arona Diouf (Teungueth FC), Idrissa Ndiaye (Génération Foot), Mouhamed Sissokho (Amitié FC), Amar Fall (AS Pikine), Elhadji Malick Sembene (Dakar Sacré-Coeur), Seyni Mbaye Ndiaye (US Gorée), Baye Assane Ciss (Teungueth FC), Ousmane Konate (AS Douanes), Daouda Ba (Dakar Sacré-Coeur), Alfred Gomis (US Ouakam), Amadou Bene Coly (AJEL Rufisque), Joseph Layousse Ifra Samb (Teungueth), Issa Kane (Casa Sports), Issaga Kane (ASC Jaraaf), Mbaye Yaya Ly (AS Pikine), Pape Abasse Badji (Génération Foot), Ousseynou Fall Seck (AJEL Rufisque), Insa Boye (Diambars), Libasse Gueye (Teungueth FC), Mangone Ndiaye (AS Pikine), Oumar Ba (US Gorée), Ameth Niang (ASC Jaraaf), Moustapha Fanne (Guédiawaye), Isma Gueye Kouate (Génération Foot), Mapathe Mbodj (AS Kaffrine), Christian Gomis (Essamaye FC), Seydina Madione Mbaye (AJEL Rufisque), Bonaventure Bonito Fonseca (US Ouakam)

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CHAN 2024: Nigeria to Play Group Matches in Zanzibar as Tournament Serves as AFCON 2027 Dress Rehearsal

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Nigeria’s Super Eagles B team will play their Group B matches of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar, an island territory of Tanzania, when the competition kicks off from August 2 to 30, 2024.

The island, located off the East African coast, has a population of under two million and is one of three host venues selected for the tournament.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday that the CHAN tournament—reserved for players plying their trade in domestic leagues—will serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Group B, where Nigeria is drawn, includes reigning champions Senegal, Congo, and Sudan. Congo was recently reinstated into the group following the expulsion of Equatorial Guinea by the CAF Appeals Committee.

The opening match of the tournament will be held at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Kampala’s Mandela Stadium in Uganda will host the third and fourth matches, while the final is scheduled for Saturday, August 30, at the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Nigeria, silver medallists in the 2018 edition and bronze winners in 2014, booked their place at this year’s finals after defeating Ghana 3-1 on aggregate in their qualifying tie last December.

GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia (Nairobi)

GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (Dar es Salaam)

GROUP C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria (Kampala)

GROUP D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria (Zanzibar)

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