Nigeria has been drawn against arch-rivals, Ghana, in the qualifying round for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) billed to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
 
In the draws held yesterday, CAF pitted the West African rivals together in a repeat of the 2022 clash, where Ghana defeated Nigeria via a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
 
The 42 entrants for the 2024 tournament, which is for players based on the continent, have been split into six zones.Five of the zones will provide three qualifiers each, but the CECAFA region has been handed a fourth space because Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will all be involved in the preliminaries despite qualifying automatically as joint hosts.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) says the team “achieving the best result in the CECAFA qualifiers” will advance. As a result, the finals, which will be held from February 1 to 28, 2025, will feature 19 teams – an increase on the 18-team 2022 edition.

The BBC reports that the format of the tournament is yet to be announced. The two rounds of regional qualifiers will be held on a home-and-away basis, with the second round ending on December 27-29.

Two-time winners Morocco, 2011 champions, Tunisia, and 2014 winners Libya are the only entrants from the North African region, so are all guaranteed a place in the finals.

CHAN holders, Senegal will face either Sierra Leone or Liberia in the second round of qualifying for the championship, in which prize money has been increased by 60 percent, with the winners of the 2024 finals set to receive $2m (£1.53m).

The staging of the 2024 CHAN finals in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda is being seen as a test event before the East African neighbours host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The first round of qualifiers will be held from October 25-27 and November 1–3 November, with the second round scheduled for December 20-22 and December 27-29.