CHAN 2024: Angola Make Tactical Move After High-Performance South Africa Camp

Angola players made a confident landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Thursday, July 31, 2025, ahead of their campaign in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The Southern African side touched down just hours after their Group ‘A’ rivals, Democratic Republic of Congo, and immediately set the tone for what is expected to be one of the toughest battles in the tournament.

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Nicknamed Palancas Negras – Black Sable Antelopes – Angola have been branded as underdogs in what many are calling the “group of death.”

Alongside two-time champions DRC and Morocco, hosts Kenya, and Zambia, the group features some of the continent’s most decorated and dangerous CHAN participants.

“We are clearly in the most competitive group. Looking at the five teams in the group, only two have won Chan twice -- Morocco and the DRC -- and they are clearly the favourites to qualify,” said Angola coach Pedro Goncalves in an interview with cafonline.com.

Goncalves, who has coached the national team since 2019, is banking on Angola's fighting spirit and domestic talent to punch above their weight.

The 25-man squad is dominated by players from local powerhouses Primeiro de Agosto, Petro Atletico, CA Petroleos Luanda, and France-based FC Sochaux-Montbeliard.

The team had just concluded a high-performance training camp in South Africa before heading to Nairobi.

This marks Angola’s fifth appearance in the biennial tournament, which is exclusively reserved for players who ply their trade in their home country leagues.

Their best performance came in 2011, when they stunned many by reaching the final, only to lose 3-0 to Tunisia.

“Then there is the host nation, Kenya, which has made a significant investment. Zambia and ourselves will be seen as the ‘underdogs,’ but I believe we will fight relentlessly for a place in the quarter-finals. We may not be the favourites, but we will certainly have something to say in that fight,” Goncalves added.

In the 2022 edition held in Algeria, Angola were eliminated in the group stage, a disappointment that still lingers.

However, the 2024 squad arrives with renewed ambition and tactical maturity. Goncalves, overseeing his second CHAN tournament, is optimistic that lessons learned will be applied on the pitch this time.

The Angolan side will kick off their Group ‘A’ campaign against Morocco on Sunday at 6pm at Nyayo National Stadium. They will then take on hosts Kenya at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on Thursday, August 7 at 7pm.

Their third fixture will be against Zambia on August 10 at Nyayo, and they will wrap up their group matches versus DRC on August 14.

Meanwhile, DR Congo coach Otis N’Goma is equally bullish about his side’s chances.

Speaking shortly after his team’s arrival, he said, “We feel excited for the warm welcome that we have received in Nairobi. We have had a good time in Dar es Salaam preparing for this great tournament. Our players are in good condition and ready for the task ahead.”

DRC, also in Group ‘A’, will face Kenya in their opening match on Sunday at MISC. With only the top two teams in each group progressing to the knock-out stages, the stakes couldn’t be higher.