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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has explained why the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) was picked as an ideal place to host the 2024 CHAN draw.

CAF will conduct the draw on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at KICC even though the actual tournament has been postponed to August this year. Initially, it had been scheduled to be played in February.

Now, KICC, according to CAF is an iconic place of cultural significance and thus an ideal place to host the draw.

“The 32-storey KICC will be a fitting stage for what will be a glittering draw ceremony. The building boasts an amphitheatre and the Tsavo Ballroom, the largest conference chamber of its kind in East Africa.

“An iconic piece of architectural mastery located at the heart of Kenya’s capital city, the KICC is renowned for its striking cylindrical design and panoramic views of the city.

“Completed in 1973, it is not only a hub for international conferences, exhibitions, and events but also a symbol of Kenya’s modernity and cultural heritage.

“It is only befitting that the capital’s signature building stages the draw as the country hosts a continental football tournament for the first time in its history. Nairobi is a major commercial hub in East Africa and is known for its tech innovation. It is the regional headquarters for several huge multi-national companies,” CAF said.

Draw

The draw will start at 8:00 pm and it will feature players considered legends from East Africa; Hassan Wasswa of Uganda, Tanzania’s Mrisho Ngasa and McDonald Mariga of Kenya.

Senegal, the defending champions and Morocco, two-time CHAN winners, are among the countries that will participate in the tournament.

Co-hosts Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will be automatically seeded as A1, B1, and C1, respectively during the draw. The remaining teams have been seeded based on their performances in the previous three editions of CHAN in 2018, 2020, and 2022.

Morocco and reigning champions Senegal are in Pot 1 while in Pot 2 there are Guinea, Zambia, Madagascar, Rwanda, and Sudan. Pot 3 contains Mauritania, Niger, Congo, Angola, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).