2014 African Nations Championship: All you need to know

The 2014 Orange African Nations Championship (also known as the African Championship of Nations or CHAN) kicks off in South Africa for an all-out three-week tournament that challenges national football teams from various countries in Africa to battle it out for the title.

Taking place between 11 January and 1 February 2014, the showdown, which was originally set to be hosted in Libya, sees squads go head-to-head in three different cities in South Africa – Cape Town, Polokwane and Mangaung – with the Mother City’s stadiums in Green Point and Athlone hosting 16 of the 32 games, including the opening and closing matches and ceremonies.

Only the third tourney thus far, the African Nations Championship is played every two years in a different country on the continent and alternates with the ever-popular Africa Cup of Nations. Starting with only 9 teams in the first contest in 2009, the competition has since expanded to include 16 sides in total, all of which are selected from the North, West A and B, Central, Central-East and Southern zones in Africa.

Most importantly, the biannual competition does not allow players competing outside of their home country’s domestic league to partake in this prestigious event. So, don’t expect to see any of the big African stars enrolled in European leagues. This policy is fundamental to the tournament, as the competition was initiated as a response to the growing need to keep the top-notch African players playing on local soil.  It’s an unfortunate fact that many footballers leave their country of birth to play for foreign teams that offer fame, fortune and exposure.

The upcoming contest sees the following teams battle it out for the African Nations Championship title: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa (hosts), Uganda, Zimbabwe.

All matches will be live and in HD on SuperSport.

All times are in CAT: