CHAN 2018 Tournament:
- 12th January – 4 February 2018
- In Morocco
Nigeria Super Eagles head coach Salisu Yusuf has named a 30 man provisional squad in preparation for the 5th African Nations Championship (CHAN) that will take place in Morocco come 2018.
The final tournament will be held in Morocco, kicking off on January 13 to February 4, 2018.
Experienced goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa will battle for the slots alongside Dele Ajiboye and Theophilus Afelokhai
Defenders Stephen Eze, Osas Okoro and Adeleye Olamilekan, midfielders Afeez Aremu, Rabiu Ali and Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, as well as forwards Kingsley Eduwo, Sikiru Olatubosun and Anthony Okpotu are some of the outspoken names on the team
Nigeria is group C which will be based in Tangier with 2014 championsLibya, Rwanda and Equatorial Guinea
Libya shocked the African football family by winning the 2014 edition in South Africa at the expense of Ghana, despite the North African nation being embroiled in political turmoil at the time.
Rwanda was the last team to qualify for the finals, after edging Ethiopia 3-2 on aggregate in a play –off that was necessitated by Egypt’s decision to forfeit her slot at the championship.
Equatorial Guinea qualified for the finals following the withdrawal of Gabon.
Meanwhile, Uganda Cranes will start the tournament against Zambia in Marrakech on 14th January 2018.
Four days later, the CECAFA giants will return to action against Namibia and wind up the group stage matches on 22nd January 2018 against West Africans, Ivory Coast.
All Uganda’s matches will be staged in Marrakech. Only Namibia versus Zambia tie will be played in Casablanca on the final day of group fixtures.
The quarter finals will be played on the 27th and 28th January 2018 in all the cities.
These will be subsequently followed by the semifinals on 31st January, third place playoff match on 3rd February before the final on Sunday, 4th February 2018.
The CHAN tournament brings together 16 national teams composed of players playing in the national leagues of their respective countries.
Nigeria Provisional Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Dele Ajiboye, Theophilus Afelokhai
Defenders: Stephen Eze, Osas Okoro, Daniel Itodo, Adeleye Olamilekan, Kalu Orji Okogbue, Ifeanyi Nweke, Nasiru Sani, Timothy Danladi
Midfielders: Afeez Aremu, Raphael Ayagwa Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Rabiu Ali, Destiny Ashadi, Dayo Ojo, Emeka Atuloma, Douglas Achiv, Austine Oladapo, Abdulkadir Zango
Forwards: Sikiru Olatubosun, Kingsley Eduwo, Peter Eneji; Anthony Okpotu, Joseph Osadiaye, Sunday Faleye, Victor Mbaoma, Mustapha Ibrahim, Gabriel Okechukwu
Group A (Casablanca)
- Morocco (Hosts)
- Guinea
- Sudan
- Mauritania
Group B (Marrakech)
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Zambia
- Uganda
- Namibia
Group C (Tangier)
- Libya
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Equatorial Guinea
Group D (Agadir)
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Congo
- Burkina Faso
