Overview:
The hosts will rely on the Simba and Young Africans stars including Clement Mzize, Manula, Hussein Mohamed, Ibrahim Bacca, Dickson Job and Azam midfield gem Feisal Salum alias Fei Toto.
The long wait is finally over. The TotalEnergies Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 in East Africa gets underway as Tanzania battle Burkina Faso in the opening match at the Benjamin Mkapa stadium, Dar es Salaam.
The group B opener will be preceded by an opening ceremony to showcase what East Africa is made up with a maiden major continental tournament in the region.
Hemed ‘Morocco’ Sulaiman, the Taifa Stars coach believes playing at home gives them advantage and will do all it takes to start well in front of the fans.
“We’ve prepared thoroughly for CHAN 2024. Playing at home, in front of our passionate fans, will definitely give us an edge,” he told journalists during the pre-match press conference.
His goalkeeper Aishi Manula echoed the sentiment: “We are ready. We’ve worked hard in camp and the boys are hungry. We want to give the country something to smile about.”
For Burkina Faso head coach Issa Balboné, he believes his side has what it takes to surprise the hosts.
“We’ve drawn strength from previous tournaments. We’ve corrected our mistakes and our ambition is clear: to go beyond the group stage this time,” Balboné stated confidently.
The hosts will rely on the Simba and Young Africans stars including Clement Mzize, Manula, Hussein Mohamed, Ibrahim Bacca, Dickson Job and Azam midfield gem Feisal Salum alias Fei Toto.
After the opening match on Saturday in Dar es Salaam, CHAN will spread across co-hosts Kenya and Uganda on Sunday and Monday respectively.
Match officials
Algerian referee Lotfi Bekouassa will take centre stage as he officiates the match. Joining him on the field are his compatriot Adel Abane (Algeria) as Assistant Referee I and Wael Hannachi (Tunisia) as Assistant Referee II. Houssam Benyahia, also from Algeria, will serve as the Fourth Official.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be led by Lahlou Benbraham of Algeria, with Akhona Makalima of South Africa appointed as the Assistant VAR.
Kickoff: Saturday, 2 August 2024
Venue: Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam
Group: Group B
Teams: Tanzania vs Burkina Faso
Broadcast: Live across Africa on CAF and local partner networks