The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the CECAFA Zone will have four teams participating in the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2025.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will host the competition slated for February 1-28^th, 2025.

“The CECAFA Zone, which includes the three host countries, will receive an additional slot due to their automatic qualification as hosts. As a result, the total number of teams qualifying for the final tournament will be increased to 19 teams,” the African Football body announced on Thursday.

CAF also announced that the road to CHAN 2025 will start with the first round of qualifiers running October 25-27, 20224 and the return leg to be played November 1-3, 2024.

The second round of the qualifiers will be played between December 20-22 for the first round, and the return legs December 25-27.

Besides the CECAFA Zone that will have four teams, all the other Zones COSAFA, WAFU A, WAFU B, UNAF and UNIFFAC have been allocated three teams in the competition.

CHAN is a competition that consists of players playing in their respective national Leagues competitions.

Uganda has qualified six times from the seven Editions of the CHAN competitions that have been held since 2009. Rwanda have qualified four times, while Sudan and Ethiopia have each qualified for CHAN three times.

The Executive Director of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) has made it clear that the regional body will keep building capacity in different areas in their quest for more football development.

John Auka Gecheo was speaking during the opening of the General Coordinators Workshop at the Swiss Lenana Mount Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday.

“We wish to build capacity for General Coordinators’ expertise in our member Associations who will not only be resourceful to their Federations in Football development but also to CECAFA, CAF and FIFA,” said Gecheo.

The workshop is being facilitated by CAF Match General Coordinator and Instructor,  Mazen Marzouk, and moderated by Baraka Kizuguto, the CECAFA Football Development Manager.

Marzouk made it clear that the Workshop is very important because it is in line with developing a new crop of General Coordinators in CECAFA region to meet CAF and FIFA international standards.

The workshop which started yesterday and ends on Thursday forms part of the CECAFA objectives in building capacity of football match officials involved in match organization.

Apart from Sudan, all the other CECAFA Member Associations Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Eritrea, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Rwanda and Zanzibar have sent two members to attend the Workshop.

Last month CECAFA also held Women’s Executive Leadership Workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In a thrilling CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers semifinals, Kenya’s Police Bullets FC overcame Tanzania Women League champions Simba Queens FC 3-2 while hosts, Ethiopia’s CBE Women FC marched on with a 2-1 win over Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim FC on 26th August, 2024.

After registering a barren draw against South Sudan’s Yei Jont Stars, a slim 1 nil win over Rayon Sports Women FC and a loss to CBE Women FC in their Group A matches, Police Bullets FC came all guns blazing to silence Simba Queens.

Bullets were first to get on the score sheet on the 29th minute when Lucy Jira latched on a ball mishandled by Caroline Rufa, Simba Queens goalie. Minutes to half time, Bullets FC lead would be cut by Corazon Aquino close range tap from Elizabeth Wambui cross that had been parried to play by Bullets keeper Annedy Kundu.

Coming from half time a determined Simba took the lead with Corazon skillfully controlling the ball and launching a half volley into the net. The lead didnt last long as it only took 5 minutes for Police Bullets to level matters, this time Diana Wacera sending in a stinging header from a freekick.

Police Bullets marched on, posing threats to the Simba side and on the 82nd minute their efforts paid off, this time Rebecca Akoth beating her marker to round off Simba goalie and slot the ball into an empty net sending Police Bullets team and technical bench into jubilation.

Police Bullets held on their nerves with solid defending to secure a win and bag their maiden Finals ticket.

Later afternoon hosts CBE Women FC squared it off with Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC for a hard fought 2-1 win. CBE started pushing for an early goal but a stubborn Kawempe put the hosts at bay. Its only deep into half time at the 44th minute that CBE’s Mesay Temsegen found back of the net, capitalizing on a rebound to ease the hosts sides frustration.

Coming from half time home side cheers of believe could be heard as both sides kept knocking. However, it didnt take long as Shadia Nabirye capitalized on the Ethiopian side defense melee to guide the ball into the net and level matters.

Both sides produced thrilling performances but couldnt find the net with the match coming to the last minutes. Four minutes to end of play, and what appeared to be a misjudgement by Kawempe goalie, a long range effort by Emedet Asfaw bounced inside the box, straight into the net.

CBE women FC held on their nerves to maintain the lead and eventually march to their 3rd finals since inception of the Zonal Qualifiers in 2021.

CBE Women FC will now face Kenya’s Police Bullets on 29th August, in the CAF Womens Champions League Qualifiers for a coveted ticket to represent CECAFA region at the continental CAF Women’s Champions League 2024.

Simba Queens will earlier in the day take on Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC for a 3rd place play off.

The Tanzania women’s national team, Twiga Stars has arrived in Tunis, Tunisia to play two international friendly matches.

Bakari Nyundo Shime, the head coach says the two matches against Tunisia and Botswana are very important to help keep building the team. The matches will be played between July 11 -16.

Seven professional players included on the squad include; skipper Oppa Clement Tukumbuke (Besiktas, Turkey), Diana Lucas (Ame S.F.K, Turkey), Maimuna Kaimu (ZED FC, Egypt), Clara Luvanga (Al Nasi FC, Saudi Arabia), Aisha Masaka (BK Hacken, Sweden), Juletha Singano (Juarez, Mexico, Enekia Kasonga (Eastern Flames, Saudi Arabia)

In February this year the Twiga Stars were eliminated by South Africa in the third round of the Paris Olympic qualifiers. Zambia and Nigeria went on to book the two slots for Africa.