The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has said some teams from other Zones have expressed interest in taking part in the 2024 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.

Zanzibar will host the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup slated for June 29^th to July 14^th. The competition, the biggest in the region return after it was last held in 2019 in Uganda.

John Auka Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director has said several guest teams have already contacted CECAFA with interest of taking part in the competition. “We are still discussing with them and will later announce all the teams that will take part by May 2024,” added Gecheo.

The CECAFA Executive Director says they will make a tour and inspect the different facilities in Zanzibar later this month. He says the tournament is likely to be played at the Amani Stadium, Sheikh Abed Karume Stadium and the Pemba Stadium.

“We are very optimistic that the Zone will have a very interesting tournament which will also help team prepare better for the qualifiers for the Africa Nations Championship and the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers,” added Gecheo.

All the Member Associations that will send teams for the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup are required to pay a fee of US$20,000 that will help the hosts organize a successful tournament.

In the past CECAFA has invited guest sides like Libya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia to participate in CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup competitions.

Uganda are the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup defending champions after they defeated Eritrea 3-0 in the final of the last event held in 2019 in Kampala.