FIFA president Gianni Infantino is expected in Nairobi this weekend for the closing of the African Nations Championship, organizers confirmed Wednesday.
Infantino will serve as chief guest at the final of the 2024 CHAN tournament on Saturday, Aug. 30, where Morocco faces Madagascar at Kasarani Stadium in the Kenyan capital. The competition, now in its eighth edition, features only players who compete in their home countries’ domestic leagues.
Nicholas Musonye, who chairs Kenya’s Local Organizing Committee for CHAN, said Infantino will be joined by Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe and the heads of all 54 African football associations.
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda — co-hosts of this year’s tournament — were all knocked out in the quarterfinals. Defending champions Senegal edged out Uganda with a 1-0 win. Madagascar sent Kenya home after a penalty shootout, while Morocco advanced past Tanzania.
Saturday’s final brings to an end a competition that began Aug. 2 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It has drawn strong regional interest, not least because it serves as a trial run for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which the same three East African nations are set to co-host.
Motsepe, who pushed for the unprecedented three-country hosting arrangement, has said the CHAN was an important test of readiness. Despite early concerns over infrastructure and logistics, the monthlong event is now being billed as one of the most successful editions of the tournament.
Kenyan president William Ruto and other senior officials are also expected at the final.
