African Nations Championship Explained

African Nations Championship should not be confused with Africa Cup of Nations.

Organiser:CAF
Number Of Teams:18
Region:Africa
Most Successful Team:

(2 titles each)
Current:2024 African Nations Championship

The African Nations Championship (in French Championnat d'Afrique des Nations), known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship and commonly abbreviated as CHAN, is a biennial African association football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 2009 and first announced in September 2007.[1] The participating nations must consist of players playing in their national league competitions.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo for short) and Morocco are the most successful teams in this tournament with two titles each, followed by Tunisia, Libya and incumbent champions Senegal with one each.[2] The tournament began life in 2009 with 8 teams, which was doubled for the 2nd edition up until the 6th[3] [4] and is currently contested by 18 teams since the 2022 edition.[5] [6] [7]

Since the 2014 edition, matches of every edition of this tournament from qualification to the final will be computed to calculate the forthcoming FIFA World Rankings following its conclusion, which CAF exclaimed at the time as "an important step for the competition's development".[8] At the time, FIFA considers the tournament "friendly" since it is restricted to players from local leagues to participate. The tournament is held biennially and alternates with the Africa Cup of Nations.[9]

History

Development

The conception of this tournament came on 11 September 2007 during a CAF Executive Committee in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the aim being to give homegrown players opportunities to represent their nations and promote their home leagues globally.[10] The tournament was approved and confirmed in January 2008 before that year's Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Following its conclusion of that tournament in February, CAF voted unanimously for Ivory Coast against firm-favorite countries like Sudan and Egypt to host the inaugural edition, after which the tournament dates and schedules were confirmed.

Inauguration and commencement

Qualification for the inaugural edition began on 29 March and concluded on 14 December 2008, which ended with seven teams joining Ivory Coast at the inaugural edition. The inaugural tournament match kicked off between Zambia and Ivory Coast on 22 February 2009 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan with Zambian Given Singuluma scoring the tournament's first goal. In Group A, Zambia and Senegal qualified at the expense of Tanzania and Ivory Coast. In Group B, Ghana and DR Congo qualified for the knockout stages with Zimbabwe and Libya eliminated.

In the semi-finals, Senegal defeated Ghana on penalties whiles DR Congo beat Zambia to advance to the final, but Zambia finished their inaugural CHAN campaign on a high with bronze medals claimed in the third-place match over Senegal. DR Congo defeated Ghana 2–0 in the final at the same stadium that opened the tournament to became the inaugural champions, thus in the process ending a 35-year wait for an international trophy win of any sort.[11]

Tournament expansion

The rapid interest of African countries in the tournament led to an increase in team participation from 8 to 16 in its second edition hosted by Sudan amid a struggle for the independence for the southern part of the country in 2011.[12] It was hosted in four cities; Omdurman, Khartoum, Wad Madani and Port Sudan. Qualification for that edition began on 11 January and concluded on 6 June 2010, with 11 teams making their tournament debuts and 5 teams, including Ghana and Libya, returned for the second edition.[13]

The 2011 edition was seen by the media as "very irregular", as there was a dominant team in each group but all the second teams were decided in the third and final group stage round. Cameroon and South Africa won all their group stage matches, but ended up losing to Angola and Algeria respectively in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Sudan beat Niger on penalties and Tunisia beat then-defending champions DR Congo.

In the semi-finals on 22 February 2011, Tunisia v Algeria and Sudan v Angola finished 1–1 after the regulation 120 minutes, with Tunisia beating Algeria 3–5 on penalties and Angola winning 4–2 against Sudan also on penalties. The second tournament editions hosts Sudan thus finished their campaign off on a high with third place and bronze medals after beating Algeria 1–0. Tunisia and Angola got a rematch in the final after a group stage 1–1 drawn match, with the former claiming the title on its debut with a 3–0 win over Angola.

FIFA recognition

CAF changed the frequency of the Africa Cup of Nations following the 2010 edition to odd-numbered years so as not to clash with the FIFA World Cup, which had a consequential knock-on effect on CHAN which was to and still is to be held biennially in even-numbered years. CAF also named Libya as hosts of the 2013 AFCON and the 2014 CHAN, but had both hosting rights stripped at the onset of the first Libyan civil war. Several countries offered themselves as replacement hosts, including Egypt and South Africa, with the latter chosen as the hosts, citing the credential of its impressive infrastructural hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The third edition ran from 11 January to 1 February 2014 and was labeled by the media as "fantastic", as they claimed the host nation's stadiums which hosted World Cup matches 4 years earlier "gave a different touch to the tournament". Like the second edition, the quarter-finalists were decided in the third and final round, with decisive goals in added-on time in each group and the knockout stages except the final were decided by the odd goal or on penalties. In the match for third place, Nigeria, who had several players on their team who won the final of the previous year's AFCON and were preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, won the bronze medal, after beating Zimbabwe 1–0.

The final was held in Cape Town between Ghana and then-surprise package Libya. The match, like that entire edition, was very tight and ended 0–0 and the champions were determined by penalties. After 6 penalties per side, Libya won their inaugural CHAN title and their first continental title in its history, which at the time was more than impressive given than they won a single match in the group stage against Ethiopia and went undefeated through consecutive draws and penalty shoot-out wins.

Congolese and Moroccan domination

The 4th edition of the tournament was held from 16 January to 7 February 2016 in Rwanda[14] and DR Congo claimed their second title defeating Mali, in the final for the first time and thus representing their best tournament performance, 3–0 in the final.

The 5th edition in 2018 was originally scheduled to be hosted in Kenya, but due to several delays in preparation and organization, CAF stripped the country of the hosting rights[15] and opened a new election process.[16] On 14 October 2017, CAF announced Morocco as the new host of the 2018 edition, which was played between 13 January to 4 February.[17] One of the main reasons why Morocco applied to be an organizer is because it was looking to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so the tournament represented one of the country's last chances to show itself as a strong candidate. The final pitted hosts Morocco and Nigeria; both teams were undefeated throughout that edition of the tournament and only had a draw to their credit in their respective group stages. Morocco won the match 4–0,[18] winning the title for the first time and becoming the first host nation to win the tournament.[19]

Morocco successfully defended their title in the 2020 edition, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa and its impact, by defeating Mali 2–0 in the final on 7 February 2021, thus becoming the first and so far only nation to win back-to-back titles.[20] [21] On 4 February 2023, Senegal defeated Algeria in the penalty shootout to become the first West African nation to win the title, which followed on from their win in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[22]

Sponsorship

On 21 July 2016, French energy and petroleum giant TotalEnergies secured an 8-year sponsorship package from CAF to sponsor its competitions.[23] [24]

Format

Qualification

For the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2009, teams for the group stage were allocated as follows:

From the second edition in 2011 until the 6th edition in 2021 (originally 2020), the expansion of national team participation to 16 teams led to the change in zonal team allocations, including the host country, were as follows:

Group phase

Until 2021, the group stage consisting of 16 teams were divided into four groups of four teams each. Within each group they face each other once, through the system of all against all. Depending on the result of each match, three points are awarded to the winner, one point to each team in case of a tie, and none to the loser.

The two best-ranked teams from each group advance to the next round. If at the conclusion of the group matches, two teams finish level on points, the following tie-breaking criteria apply:

  1. The highest number of points obtained taking into account all the group matches.
  2. The highest goal difference considering all group matches.
  3. The highest number of goals scored in favour taking into account all group matches.

If two or more teams are tied based on the above guidelines, their positions will be determined by the following criteria, in order of preference:

  1. The highest number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question.
  2. The goal difference taking into account the matches between the teams in question.
  3. The highest number of goals scored by each team in the matches played between the teams in question.

If after applying the above criteria two teams are still tied, the above three criteria are reapplied to the match played between the two teams in question to determine their final standings. If this procedure does not lead to a tiebreaker, the following tiebreaker criteria apply:

The second round includes all phases from the round of 16 to the final. The two semi-finalists qualify through the direct elimination system. The losing teams of the semifinals play a match for third and fourth place, while the winners play the final match, where the winner gets the title.

If a game is tied after 90 minutes of play, extra time is played in two halves of 15 minutes each, even to the extent of a penalty shoot-out if the result is still tied after this extra time.

Results

width=2%Ed.width=5%Yearwidth=8%HostsChampionswidth=10%ScoreRunners-upThird placewidth=10%ScoreFourth placewidth=4%No. of teams
120092–02–1 8
22011 Sudan3–01–0 16
32014 South Africa0–0
1–0 16
42016 Rwanda3–02–1 16
52018 Morocco4–01–1
16
62020 Cameroon2–02–016
72022 Algeria0–0
1–017
82024 Kenya

Uganda

Summaries

Years shown in bold indicate that the country also hosted an edition of the tournament.

TeamChampionsRunners-upThird placeFourth placeTotal
2 (2009, 2016)2
2 (2018, 2020)2
1 (2014)1 (2018)2
1 (2022)1 (2009)2
1 (2011)1
2 (2009, 2014)2
2 (2016, 2020)2
1 (2018)1 (2014) 2
-1 (2022)1 (2011)2
1 (2011)1
2 (2011, 2018) 2
1 (2020)1 (2016)2
1 (2009)1
1 (2016)1
1 (2022)1
1 (2014)1
1 (2020)1
1 (2022)1

Participating nations

width=150Team
2009

2011

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022



2024
Years
4th××2nd2
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GSGSGS3
GS1
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×GSQFQFGS4
bgcolor=Gold1stQFQFbgcolor=Gold1stQFGS6
××GS1
××GSGSGS3
GSQFGS×3
bgcolor=Silver2ndGSbgcolor=Silver2ndQF4
4thGS3rd3
GSGS3rdGSQF5
Q1
GSbgcolor=Gold1st4thGSGS5
3rd1
GSQFbgcolor=Silver2ndbgcolor=Silver2ndGS5
×GSGSQF3
QFGS1stbgcolor=Gold1st×4
GSQF2
QFGS×2
QFGSGS4th4
3rdGSbgcolor=Silver2nd3
GSQFGSQF4
4thGSbgcolor=Gold1st3
QFGS2
3rd3rdGS3
GSGS Q2
GS 1
bgcolor=Gold1stQFו• ×2
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GSGS4thGSGS×5
Total816161616161718
Legend

Records and statistics

General statistics by tournament

YearHostsChampions (titles)Winning coachTop scorer(s) (goals)Most valuable player
2009 (1) Mutumbile Santos Given Singuluma (5) Trésor Mputu
2011 (1) Sami Trabelsi Zouheir Dhaouadi
2014 (1) Javier Clemente Bernard Parker (4) Ejike Uzoenyi
2016 (2) Florent Ibengé Meschak Elia
2018 (1) Jamal Sellami Ayoub El Kaabi (9) Ayoub El Kaabi
2020 (2) Hussein Ammouta Soufiane Rahimi (5) Soufiane Rahimi
2022 (1) Pape Thiaw Aymen Mahious (5) Houssem Eddine Mrezigue

Top goalscorers

The following players finished with five or more goals in a single edition of the tournament.

GoalsPlayer(s)Nation(s)Year
9 2018
52022
2020
2009

Hat-tricks

A hat-trick is achieved when the same player scores three goals in a match. Listed in chronological order.

Sequence
PlayerNo. of goalsTime of goalsRepresentingFinal score OpponentTournamentRoundDate
.Given Singuluma336', 49', 50'3–02009Group stage22 February 2009
.Chisom Chikatara375', 81', 90'4–12016Group stage18 January 2016
.Ayoub El Kaabi327', 65', 68'3–12018Group stage17 January 2018

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 11 September 2007. New tournament for Africa. BBC Sport. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090302063456/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6990333.stm. 2 March 2009.
  2. Web site: 19 September 2009. CAF Executive Committee Decisions. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081218004818/http://www.cafonline.com/?lng=1&module=media&idrub=97947&idnews=83652. 18 December 2008. CAFOnline.com. 21 July 2010.
  3. Web site: Sannie. Ibrahim. 28 February 2009. CAF plans to expand CHAN. BBC Sport. 21 May 2009.
  4. Web site: 25 February 2011. Tunisia beat Angola in the CHAN final in Sudan. BBC Sport. 1 March 2011.
  5. Web site: 23 May 2022. CHAN 2022: Expanded tournament set for unusual format. BBC Sport. 5 January 2023.
  6. Web site: Willis. Seth. 23 May 2022. Chan: Caf announces increase of teams from Algeria edition. Goal.com. 5 January 2023.
  7. Web site: 11 May 2022. CAF Set To Increase CHAN 2023 From 16 To 18 Teams, Introduces New Format. Basic Sport in Nigeria (BSN). 5 January 2023.
  8. Web site: 14 January 2014. CHAN Henceforth Taken into Account in FIFA Rankings. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127180154/https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/chan-henceforth-taken-into-account-in-fifa-rankings. 27 January 2022. CAFOnline.com. 14 January 2022.
  9. Web site: 29 September 2017. Ghana 'favourites' to host 2018 CHAN after WAFU Nations Cup success. Ghana Soccernet. 27 November 2017.
  10. Web site: 20 May 2019. Total African Nations Championship. TotalEnergies. 1 January 2022. en.
  11. Web site: 8 March 2009. DR Congo lift CHAN trophy. BBC Sport. 8 March 2013.
  12. Web site: 15 January 2016. Nigeria 'do not have A and B teams' says Oliseh ahead of Nations Championship. The National. 19 June 2016. Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  13. News: 15 January 2016. African Nations Championship in Rwanda gives domestic talent a chance. African Football. The Guardian. 19 June 2016.
  14. Web site: Komugisha. Usher. Usher Komugisha. 17 February 2015. CAF sets dates for CHAN 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217164144/http://www.supersport.com/football/africa/news/150217/Caf_sets_dates_for_Chan_2016. 17 February 2015. SuperSport. 28 February 2015.
  15. Web site: 23 September 2017. Kenya loses Chan hosting rights as Caf decides. Daily Nation. 23 September 2017.
  16. Web site: 1 October 2017. TOTAL CHAN 2018: Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and Morocco are bidding for the organisation. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200910175419/http://www.cafonline.com/en-US/NewsCenter/News/NewsDetails?id=u8DhEDYzOgjOlxUtRPjFVA%3d%3d. 10 September 2020. CAFOnline.com. 9 December 2018.
  17. Web site: 15 October 2017. Morocco will host Total CHAN 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180407161238/http://www.cafonline.com/en-US/NewsCenter/News/NewsDetails?id=fnPYa32ht2hnNIb2xf1TBQ%3d%3d. 7 April 2018. CAFOnline.com. 13 January 2018.
  18. Web site: Isabirye. David. 5 February 2018. Morocco wins 2018 CHAN championship. Kawowo. 5 February 2018.
  19. Web site: 4 February 2018. Hosts Morocco crowned CHAN champions. BBC Sport. 1 July 2022.
  20. Web site: 7 February 2021. Morocco win second CHAN title after defeating Mali in final. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208032322/https://www.cafonline.com/total-african-nations-championship/news/morocco-win-second-chan-title-after-defeating-mali-in-final. 8 February 2021. CAFOnline.com. 16 November 2022.
  21. Web site: 7 February 2021. Morocco defeat Mali 2-0 to retain Chan title. Goal.com. 16 November 2022.
  22. Web site: 4 February 2023. Senegal win penalty shootout against Algeria to become CHAN champions. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20230205000441/https://www.cafonline.com/total-african-nations-championship/2022/news/senegal-defeat-hosts-algeria-on-penalties-to-win-chan. 5 February 2023. CAFOnline.com. 5 February 2023.
  23. Web site: 21 July 2016. Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20230620191516/https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/total-title-sponsor-of-the-africa-cup-of-nations-and-partner-of-african-football. 20 June 2023. CAFOnline.com. 3 June 2022.
  24. Web site: 21 July 2016. Total to sponsor CAF competitions for the next eight years. Africanews. 18 April 2018.