Julius OkorieSuper Eagles Team B, contenders in the 8th edition of African Nations Championship (CHAN) will have defending Champion, Senegal, Republic of Congo and Sudan to contend with when the tournament kicks off in August.
Originally billed for next month, the tournament has been rescheduled to August 2025, but it will still take place in the three East African nations of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAs reported by Primebusiness.africa draw for the event was held Wednesday night at the iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.
The draw was conducted with the assistance of three East African football legends, Uganda’s Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa of Tanzania and Kenya’s McDonald Mariga, who added even more star quality to the night.
Joint-hosts Kenya emerged as the head of Group A, which also comprises strong teams such as Morocco, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia.
Tanzania, another of the co-hosts, lead Group B, where they will they will battle Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic, who notably triumphed over Cameroon in the qualifiers.
Uganda, the third joint-host, lead the pack in Group C having been drawn against Niger Republic, Guinea, and two wild card teams to be selected by the Confederation of African Football.
Defending champions Senegal are the top seeds in Group D, which is a four-team pool, and will face Congo, Sudan and Nigeria.
No fewer than seven countries viz Algeria, Comoros, Gambia, Malawi, Egypt, South Africa and Gabon will now battle to fill the two slots remaining in draw for qualifier 1 and 2.
The actual date for the kickoff of the tournament in August will be announced in soon according to CAF. Prior to the postponement of the tournament Eagles Team B had been burning the calories in preparation at the Remo Stars Sports Centre in Ikene, Ogun state under the watch of Coach Daniel Ogunmodede and Fidelis Ilechukwu, coach of Remo Stars and Rangers respectively.
READ ALSO: CHAN 2024: Eagles Get Preparation Boost As CAF Postpones Tournament
With the shift in tournament both players and coaches will return to their different clubs in preparation for the resumption of the league on January 25.
New coach of the Super Eagles Eric Chelle visited the team in their camp alongside Head of Head of Technical Committee Austin Eguavoen where they interacted with the coaches and players, handing Chelle an opportunity to meet the players and their officials for the first time.
Nigeria’s best outing in the Championship was runners up finish at the 2018 edition hosted and won by Morocco after beating Eagles 4-0 in the final played at the Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca.
The Full Group Stage Draw:
GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia
GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic
GROUP C: Uganda, Niger Republic, Guinea, Wild Card 1, Wild Card 2
GROUP D: Senegal, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Nigeria
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
