The 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) has been postponed, announced the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It will now kick off in August 2025 instead of February, and the official new start date will be announced later.

CAF says the decision was made because the host nations—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—aren’t ready. But reports suggest there’s more to the story.

GhanaSoccer.net claims the number of teams caused problems. CAF had planned for 19 teams, but now only 17 are set to compete.

The football governing body wants the domestic leagues to wrap up their campaigns smoothly, without interrupting momentum and to also avoid straining players.

Despite the delay, CAF says that the host countries have made “good progress” in preparing stadiums, training fields, hotels, and hospitals for the competition.But experts told CAF that more time is needed.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe thanked the leaders of the host nations. He said their work on upgrading facilities is impressive. “I am confident the stadiums, training fields, hotels, and hospitals will meet CAF standards by August 2025,” he said.

The draw went ahead as  planned yesterday at 8 p.m. Kenyan  time and will be broadcast live on Arriyadia and CAF YouTube Channel.

Seventeen teams are in the mix for the tournament, and host nations Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania lead the lineup. They are joined by Morocco, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African,  Republic Congo, DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, Angola, and Madagascar.

The CHAN is organized every two years. It differs from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as only players from the domestic league can join. Foreign-based players cannot participate and the format of the competition is similar to the AFCON’s.

CAF created this competition to promote local talents in Africa and give them a chance to show their skills to scouts and bigger clubs. Côte d’Ivoire hosted the first CHAN tournament in 2009.

Teams play in qualifiers to reach the finals, where 16 teams compete in four groups of four. Then the top two teams of each group play in the knockouts for the trophy.

Morocco won the title twice in 2018 and 2020.

Senegal, who won the 2023 CHAN after defeating Algeria, the host nation, will be looking to defend their title.

CHAN plays a big role in African football, allowing local players to shine and build their careers.