Kenya’s long-awaited shot at redemption has arrived. Nearly eight years after losing CHAN 2018 over shoddy stadia, the country will stage the African Nations Championship (CHAN) final on 30 August 2025 at Nairobi’s Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
The decision, confirmed in a fresh Confederation of African Football (CAF) circular on Thursday, completes the venue jigsaw for the tournament co-hosted with Tanzania and Uganda.
How the fixtures line up
| Stage | Date | Venue | City | Capacity* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening match | 2 Aug 2025 | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium | Dar es Salaam | 60 000 |
| Group phase | 2–23 Aug 2025 | See pools below | Nairobi, Dar, Kampala, Zanzibar | — |
| Third-place play-off | 29 Aug 2025 | Mandela National Stadium | Kampala | 45 000 |
| Final | 30 Aug 2025 | Kasarani Stadium | Nairobi | 60 000 |
Who plays where
| Pool | Host city | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| A | Nairobi | Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia |
| B | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic |
| C | Kampala | Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria |
| D | Zanzibar | Senegal, Congo*, Sudan, Nigeria |
*Congo replace Equatorial Guinea after a CAF appeal ruling.
Postponed but bigger
Originally pencilled for February 2024, CHAN was pushed back twice and will now keep its “2024” badge despite the new 2025 window. CAF cited unfinished upgrades to key facilities across the three hosts as the main reason for the delay, but said a five-nation event in August gives “the best shot at a flawless showcase”.
Stadium race to the finish
- Kasarani: Roof panels, new floodlights and a giant LED scoreboard are already in place; canopy cladding and VAR cabling in final phase.
- Nyayo: Fresh tartan track laid, CCTV doubled to 150 cameras and all four 3 000-lux floodlight towers installed; CAF inspectors want the VVIP canopy sealed by July.
- Amaan (Zanzibar): Freshly refurbished after hosting May’s CAF Confederation Cup final, giving the Isles their first taste of a major CAF tournament.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya insists Kenya “is ready, full stop”, pushing back at social-media murmurs that CAF might still yank matches if work drags. “Inspectors were here last Friday, and their report is positive. By July the venues will meet every requirement,” he told reporters.
Why this final matters
- Redemption arc: Kenya was stripped of CHAN 2018, then slapped with a FIFA suspension in 2022. Hosting the decider marks a symbolic return to CAF’s inner circle.
- Dress rehearsal for AFCON 2027: The tri-nation “Pamoja” bid won the bigger Africa Cup of Nations, so CHAN serves as a live stress-test for crowd control, ticketing, security tech and real-time VAR deployment.
- Economic bump: Tourism analysts project KSh 6 – 8 billion in direct spend across Nairobi alone during the three-week fiesta, based on Rwanda’s 2016 CHAN gains adjusted for inflation and stadium capacity.
Voices from the touchline
“Spreading the matches across four East African cities shows our commitment to inclusivity and growth of the game,” CAF said in its notice.
“If anyone doubts our capacity, come see Kasarani this July. The roof is up and the pitch is immaculate,” Kasarani project engineer David Cheruiyot told local press.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars boss Engin Firat, whose locally based squad will qualify automatically, called the final allocation “a once-in-a-lifetime motivation” for KPL players eyeing continental glory on home grass.
The countdown
CAF will release the detailed match-by-match schedule and ticket prices in early July. Meanwhile, Kasarani’s contractors work double shifts, Nyayo’s final canopy bolts go in, and hotel managers brace for a late-August booking rush.
With 60 000 fans expected to roar inside Kasarani on 30 August, Kenya’s second chance at CHAN is no longer a dream; it is a deadline.
