The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided the postponement of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) from February to August.
This decision, reported by beIN Sports, comes amid a series of logistical and infrastructural challenges.
Originally scheduled for February 2025, the tournament will now be held in the summer across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
This postponement addresses growing concerns about unready infrastructure and stadiums, as well as difficulties in securing enough teams for the competition.
One of the primary reasons for the delay is the lack of sufficient preparation time for many teams, particularly those that had not participated in the initial qualifiers, such as Egypt and Algeria.
The postponement provides these teams more time to prepare and allows local leagues to complete their domestic seasons without added pressure.
CAF had previously announced that the tournament would include 19 teams, but the qualifiers have only produced 17, leading to further complications.
Additionally, some venues, like Zanzibar City Stadium, were reported to be below standard, prompting the CAF inspection committee to reconsider the allocation of venues, with some matches potentially being moved to Rwanda.
The postponement has sparked mixed reactions.
Some call for the tournament’s cancellation due to ongoing challenges, while others support the decision, believing it will lead to better preparation and participation.
