Are trio of East African hosts on track for Afcon 2027?

Morocco came from 1-0 down to beat surprise package Madagascar 3-2 in the CHAN 2024 final on Saturday

Morocco won a record third African Nations Championship (CHAN) title by beating Madagascar 3-2 in the final as the delayed 2024 edition culminated in Nairobi on Saturday.

But the 19-team tournament, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, did experience several issues – including the first two of those countries being sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for breaches of its safety regulations.

The East African trio are also due to stage the larger, and far more prestigious, Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2027.

Caf president Patrice Motsepe and Kenya international Victor Wanyama have respectively hailed CHAN 2024 as the "most successful" and "best ever" edition of the tournament.

"We had a clear objective to develop and grow football focussing on East Africa and that's what makes me proud," Motsepe said.

"It's a good basis for 2027."

But how much work is required before the continent's biggest sporting event comes around in two years' time?

Improving stadium security

Overcrowding at the Kasarani Stadium was evident during the Group A game between Kenya and Morocco

The major matter of concern ahead of Afcon is around security and supporter safety.

The passion of Kenyan fans and their desire to see the Harambee Stars play on home soil is undeniable, but ticketing and security issues resulted in serious safety breaches at two of their games.

Those problems, including overcrowding, resulted in the capacity at the Kasarani Stadium being capped at 60%, while Football Federation Kenya was fined a total of $20,000 by Caf – with $2,500 of that sum suspended.

Caf had warned Kenya, in particular, about stadium security ahead of the finals, and thankfully the last five games in the country passed without incident.

Separately, Tanzania's football federation was fined a sum of $10,000 after fans broke safety and security protocols during one Taifa Stars game in Dar es Salaam.

The ticketing platform was also criticised, with allegations in Kenya that touts bought tickets in bulk to sell on for profit – and rogue vendors selling duplicated tickets.

The fan experience

Uganda hosted 12 of the 44 games at CHAN 2024, including a semi-final and the third-placed play-off

Given the clamour to watch games in Nairobi, Kenya eventually established fan parks where supporters without tickets could view matches.

Former Tottenham midfielder Wanyama lauded the tournament's "good social media" presence, but wants more viewing locations to be provided for ticketless fans.

"In future fan zones should be in place from early in the tournament because, as you saw in Nairobi, fans really wanted to come into the stadium," Wanyama told BBC Swahili.

"Also, the zones shouldn't be only in Nairobi but other areas in the country, because football fans aren't only in Nairobi."

The Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar coped well after its late addition as a host venue, but Tanzanian football commentator Juma Ayo rated his homeland as "six out of 10" when it came to staging.

"Logistically, Tanzania did well on security for visiting teams and fans, and our hospitality was very good," he told BBC Sport Africa.

However, supporters in Tanzania will need to learn about e-ticketing platforms before Afcon.

"There was not much demand for tickets online because many people weren't familiar with the process," Ayo explained.

"Kenya are at a higher level in [internet] usage. Going forward fans in Tanzania will need to be educated on online ticketing, because many fans would rather buy physical tickets at the gate."

Uganda's sole venue was the Mandela National Stadium, and the feeling in Kampala and beyond was that the nation was "shortchanged" after being overlooked for both the opening game and the final.

"Probably next time (in 2027) the first match of each country should also be an opening ceremony to showcase their culture," journalist Fred Mwambu said.

Boosting attendances

Most CHAN games which did not involve the host nations were poorly attended

The topic of CHAN's relevance repeatedly rears its head in a packed calendar and a six-month delay in staging the finals, because works on infrastructure and facilities had not been finalised, provided more ammunition to critics.

However, Caf is adamant the tournament is necessary to provide a development opportunity to footballers based on the continent.

"When I became president I was told 'Cancel CHAN - it is losing money, it is a failure, there's no interest'," Motsepe said.

"This competition has been a success, we've increased prize money and attendance. I am not sure about the timing, but we will get it right and improve."

The extra motivation provided by increased prize money - with $3.5m handed to the winners - was cited as one reason for Madagascar's run to a first ever international final.

Yet there were sparse attendance at matches not involving the host nations, although this is a common sight at most tournaments held across Africa.

Mwambu pointed to "very poor publicity" of the CHAN finals in Uganda, but Ayo argues that this will be less of an issue come the 2027 Afcon, because star names will be a draw to the first edition of the tournament in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted in 1976.

"CHAN didn't have big names," Ayo said.

"I think at Afcon 2027 there'll be better attendance because there are players people know. You look at names like Mohamed Salah, it's a player people know and would want to watch.

"Of course fans would still be selective in the games they attend in 2027 but there'll be a willingness to go."

An impact on the pitch

Kenya reached the quarter-finals on their debut at CHAN, beating eventual champions 1-0 Morocco in the group stage

Fifa president Gianni Infantino was in attendance for the final, and says East Africa deserves its chance to shine.

"You see the passion that is here," the Swiss said.

"New stadiums are being built, infrastructure coming together. This shows it is right to invest in the game."

In terms of performance, the fact all three hosts nations reached the last eight "shows they are doing something right", according to former South Africa defender Mark Fish, a member of Caf's technical study group.

Kenya, absent from Afcon since 2019 and making their CHAN debut, would have been the happiest from the trio.

Benni McCarthy's side beat Morocco en route to finishing top of their group - in part thanks to financial incentives promised by Kenyan President William Ruto.

"I was impressed by the Harambee Stars' performance," Wanyama said.

"The President motivated the players, the fans came to show their support [and] it helped the players. I commend them for showing they can do well in international games."

Tanzania and Uganda will get more high-level international exposure when they compete at the 2025 Afcon, and even meet each other in a local derby in the group stage in December.

Pamoja - the Swahili word meaning together - was the buzzword for the East African co-hosts of CHAN 2024, and that theme will remain prominent as preparations continue for Afcon over the next two years.