CHAN 2025: Government Hints At When Harambee Stars Will Begin Preps

Harambee Stars. Photo. Imago

CHAN 2025: Government Hints At When Harambee Stars Will Begin Preps

Evans Ousuru 15:55 - 27.05.2025

The government has come out clean on when national team Harambee Stars are expected to start preparations for the CHAN tournament.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Salim Mvurya has assured that preparations for the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) will begin soon.

This, he said, is aimed at fine tuning Harambee Stars players to ensure that they are on top gear by the time the tournament starts in August.

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Kenya will co-host the biennial championship alongside Uganda and Tanzania, starting August 2 -30.

The championship, which is for domestic-based players, was initially set to be held from February 1 to 28 but was delayed to give the hosting nations time to ensure facilities are ready. 

“The next few weeks will be crucial. I will be focusing on preparing our team, Harambee Stars, to ensure they are in top shape and ready to win the CHAN trophy. That is our goal," Mvuyra told Citizen Digital.

Kenya has been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside CHAN powerhouses Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Angola and Zambia. 

The group presents a tough test, as both Morocco and DRC have each won the CHAN title twice, making them the most successful nations in the tournament's history.

Angola and Zambia have also had strong showings at CHAN in past editions. Angola reached the final in 2011 in Sudan, where they finished runners-up after a 3-0 defeat to Tunisia.

Zambia claimed third place in the 2009 tournament by edging out Senegal 2-1 in the playoff.

The eighth edition of the biennial tournament will mark the first time in the tournament’s history that three nations will jointly stage the competition. 

The CHAN tournament also serves as a precursor to the much-anticipated 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which the same trio of countries will also host.