How and When Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania Could Face Each Other Ahead of CHAN 2024 Quarter-Finals

• Pamoja CHAN 2024 co-hosts, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, all made it to the last eight of the competition
• The East African nations all topped their groups after incredible performances in front of their home crowds
• We take a look at how the three teams could play each other in the tournament, in what would be a fiery regional derby

The three co-hosts of the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) qualified for the quarter-finals to keep the excitement going.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are all 270 minutes away from lifting the trophy on August 30 as they prepare for the knockout fixtures.

However, questions linger as to when they will face each other in the competition as the fans continue to trade jabs online.

There is a possibility that they will play each other at some point, but first of all, how did they get here?

How Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania reached CHAN quarter-finals

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Kenya

Harambee Stars topped Group A after beating Zambia on the final match day to finish with 10 points, one more than second-placed Morocco.

Benni McCarthy's side beat DR Congo, drew with Angola, stunned Morocco, and wrapped it up with a win over an already-eliminated Zambia.

Uganda

Uganda survived a scare from South Africa, scoring two penalties in the last eight minutes to win Group C and qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in their CHAN history.

Algeria's failure to beat Niger in Nairobi saw them finish in second place. Uganda Cranes lost to Algeria in the first game but recovered to beat Guinea and Niger before the South Africa draw.

"I recall that at the start of the tournament, we lost our first game. It was a sad moment, but we kept believing. Today, here we are, through to the next stage," said head coach Morley Byekwaso to CAF Online.

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Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda learn path to CHAN final as quarter-final clashes are set

"Our first target was to get out of the group for the first time ever, but now the target has changed. We have another game on Saturday, so after the excitement, we are going back to training with new words, new motivation and a new approach"

Tanzania

Taifa Stars won their first three matches to become the first team to qualify. They made light work of Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Mauritania before drawing against the Central African Republic in a dead rubber game.

CHAN 2024 quarter-final pairings

By virtue of winning their groups, the three teams avoided each other in the quarter-final stage. Kenya will play Madagascar in the first game in Nairobi before Tanzania face Morocco in Dar es Salaam.

Uganda will entertain Senegal in Kampala, while Sudan squares off with Algeria in Zanzibar.

How Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania can play each other

Despite avoiding each other in the Last 8, an East African derby is still on the cards, but there are a lot of 'ifs' involved.

Read also

Complete list of teams eliminated from CHAN 2024, including Nigeria

For starters, the only way Kenya can play either Uganda or Tanzania is if they get to the final and one of the teams get there as well.

If Kenya beat Madagascar, they will face either Sudan or Algeria in the semi-finals in Dar es Salaam.

However, for Tanzania and Uganda, the derby might come much earlier should they win their quarter-final matches.

Should Taifa Stars beat Morocco and Uganda knock out the defending champions, Senegal, they will face off in the semi-finals in Kampala.

Which is the strongest East African nation?

Based on current FIFA rankings, Uganda tops this category as they are ranked 88th in the world.

Tanzania follow in position 103, while Kenya is the last one in 109th.

Uganda and Tanzania have also qualified for this year's Africa Cup of Nations, that will be held in Morocco and will coincidentally face off in Group C alongside heavyweights Nigeria and Tunisia.

Read also

Uganda qualifies for CHAN 2024 quarter-finals, avoids Harambee Stars' path

Harambee Stars coach taunts Tanzania

Benni McCarthy aimed a dig at Tanzania, sarcastically wishing them all the best ahead of their quarter-final match against Morocco.

Harambee Stars beat Morocco, albeit under difficult circumstances, after Crispine Erambo had been sent off.

McCarthy quipped that Tanzania will now know what it feels like to play in the Group of Death.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke