CHAN serves as a second-tier competition for national teams, exclusively featuring players who compete in their home countries’ domestic leagues. But is the competition really necessary?
By Tuka Letura
The African Nations Championship (CHAN) is a continental football competition established by CAF under the leadership of Issa Hayatou in 2007. It was officially launched in 2008, shortly before that year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament serves as a second-tier competition for national teams, exclusively featuring players who compete in their home countries’ domestic leagues. Teams qualify for the tournament through a dedicated qualification process.
Since its inception in 2007, there have been seven editions of the competition, hosted by Ivory Coast, Sudan, South Africa, Rwanda, Cameroon, Algeria, and Morocco. The 2024 edition, initially scheduled for September 2024, was rescheduled to begin in February 2025, and has now been further postponed to August 2025.
The issue of postponement, coupled with the competition’s fair share of challenges, raises questions about its overall value and purpose. It leads us to an important question: Is CHAN truly necessary? While the competition’s intent to develop local talent is admirable, has it delivered on its promises?
The tournament’s success has been undermined by numerous challenges, with organizational issues being the most prominent. The recent postponement of the latest edition further highlights infrastructural shortcomings as the primary cause.

According to CAF, significant progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in constructing and upgrading stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals, and other facilities required for the successful hosting of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024.
However, CAF’s Technical and Infrastructure experts, some of whom are based in these countries, have advised that more time is needed to ensure the infrastructure and facilities meet the necessary standards for a successful tournament.
Another major issue plaguing CHAN is poor scheduling. For any continental competition to thrive, it must be held at a time that maximizes its financial potential and attracts significant attention from fans, sponsors, and broadcasters. A poorly timed tournament risks becoming an afterthought, overshadowed by other football events or commitments.
This raises a critical question about CAF’s perception of the tournament. Is CHAN merely a token gesture? Is it treated as charity, meant to give exposure to players who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to showcase their talent? If so, this outlook diminishes the tournament’s significance and suggests a lack of ambition in its organisation.
Such an approach exacerbates other pressing issues, like inadequate facilities and persistent logistical problems. While the flagship men’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) faces its fair share of organizational challenges, these pale in comparison to the troubles that consistently plague CHAN. From subpar infrastructure to disjointed planning, CHAN often feels like an afterthought rather than a serious competition deserving of equal respect and preparation.
The consequences of these persistent issues are far-reaching, one of which is CHAN’s limited appeal to global audiences. Sparse media coverage and relatively low television viewership have significantly hampered the tournament’s ability to build a robust following. In an era where football thrives on global exposure, CHAN struggles to carve out a distinct space on the international stage.
If CAF is going to maintain a second-tier continental tournament, it must ensure that CHAN is well-organized and captivating enough to attract the already scarce global attention that African football receives. Without this, the tournament risks remaining an insular affair, appreciated only by a niche audience. The lack of visibility is not just a missed opportunity for promoting African talent — it also comes at a financial cost.
The absence of global reach directly impacts the tournament’s ability to attract sponsorships and secure substantial investment. Sponsors are drawn to competitions that offer significant returns through high viewership and engagement. Without visibility, CHAN becomes a less attractive prospect for brands, further exacerbating its financial and logistical struggles.
Financial constraints faced by participating nations also contribute to these problems. Many African football associations operate on tight budgets, often prioritizing the “main” senior national teams and major tournaments.
As a result, preparations for CHAN are frequently substandard, with teams struggling to assemble competitive squads or access quality training facilities. You can see the picture more clearly with the shabby training centers most of these teams train in. This impacts the level of football on display, which in turn affects the tournament’s reputation and value.
Sustainability is another critical concern. While some players have used CHAN as a springboard to advance their careers, the majority remain confined to their domestic leagues with limited progression. This raises doubts about whether the tournament is truly fulfilling its developmental goals or if it serves more as a symbolic exercise.
The exodus of more than half of the last edition’s Team of the Tournament from the continent, with only three players staying at their respective clubs, reflects this recurring trend where the tournament serves as a stepping stone to European opportunities.
While international tournaments are indeed platforms for recognition, the concern arises when CHAN seems to function primarily as a trampoline to European leagues, rather than enhancing the prestige of African football itself.

With this trend, it’s rare to see players participating in multiple editions of the tournament. By the time a new edition comes around, most players from the previous one have moved abroad and are no longer eligible to compete.
While it’s understandable and commendable for players to seek better opportunities to advance their careers, this pattern highlights a deeper issue for the tournament itself: a lack of sustainability.
This issue becomes more pronounced when considering the stringent conditions under which these tournaments are organized. The financial and logistical challenges required to stage such events are intended to benefit the development of football on the continent.
Yet, the immediate departure of top talents suggests a lack of structural retention strategies, which ultimately weakens local leagues and diminishes the long-term impact these tournaments should have on African football.
The problem isn’t that players are seeking better opportunities — it’s the lack of continuity, which is a result of the underlying issue of most African leagues being subpar, both financially and structurally. This needs more attention than merely setting up a secondary men’s continental tournament.
Financial viability is also a pressing issue. Organising a continental tournament requires substantial resources, and CHAN’s limited returns from sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and ticket sales raise doubts about its economic value.
CAF has faced financial difficulties, including settlements over marketing rights, which have impacted its ability to fully support CHAN. These challenges highlight the need for more robust financial strategies if the tournament is to remain relevant.
Ultimately, while CHAN’s mission is commendable, its current format and execution fail to deliver lasting impact. The question is no longer whether CHAN is necessary, but whether it can be deconstructed and then restructured into a sustainable and influential competition that genuinely supports the growth of African football. Without meaningful reforms, CHAN risks being remembered as a long-term promising concept that fell short of its potential.
If these changes cannot be realized, there is little justification for CHAN’s continued existence. A tournament that cannot evolve to meet the needs of African football risks becoming irrelevant, no matter how well-intentioned its purpose may be.
Rather than persist with a flawed system, it would be better to scrap CHAN entirely. The funds allocated for it should be reinvested in continental club competitions.
Despite the postponement, the draws for the latest tournament were held in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 15th of January 2025.
Seventeen teams are in the mix for the tournament, with host nations Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania leading the lineup. Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Congo, DR Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola, and Madagascar complete the lineup. Here’s the group placement after the draw:

Tuka Letura is an experienced sports writer with over five years of experience in the craft. He uses data and statistics to provide analysis and commentary. From regional to worldwide competitions, he has covered a wide range of sports-related events and topics. He is devoted to sharing his enthusiasm for sports with his audience and engaging them with interesting anecdotes and viewpoints.