CAF Vice President Seidou Mbombo Njoya, who also serves as the Chairperson of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) organizing committee, earlier this week visited Uganda to discuss the country’s preparations for the upcoming CHAN tournament.
Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania have collectively secured the rights to host the CHAN tournament, a key step towards hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2027.
The successful organization of CHAN 2025 is crucial for these nations as it will demonstrate their readiness to host AFCON 2027.
According to CAF, Uganda must be prepared to host CHAN, a tournament featuring 18 teams comprised of locally based players, similar to the last edition held in Algeria. This requirement extends to Kenya and Tanzania as well.
FUFA President Moses Magogo revealed the group distribution for CHAN 2025, with Uganda hosting two groups of three teams each, Kenya hosting one group of four teams, and Tanzania hosting two groups of four teams each, totaling 18 teams.
Magogo emphasized that successfully hosting CHAN next year would signify that Uganda is 50% ready for AFCON 2027.
He mentioned that Uganda needs only one competition stadium and four training grounds to meet CHAN requirements.
“Namboole Stadium requires just minor modifications and it will be ready,” Magogo stated.
“Out of the four training facilities, the outside training pitch at Namboole is done and ready. Work at the Kyambogo playground has started with the government already investing UGX 3.7 billion. The other training ground is Kadiba where work is ongoing, and then Makerere playground.”
Magogo also highlighted the long-term benefits of hosting AFCON 2027.
“When we started this AFCON 2027 story, to some people it looked like a far-fetched project. By this strategy of hosting AFCON, the government is investing hundreds of billions of shillings in constructing sporting infrastructure. These will be good enough to use for our local competitions,” he said.
