The 2023 African Nations Championship, or CHAN for short, is being played in Algeria in January. The event is officially labeled as a 2022 event, but it was pushed by six months due to a scheduling backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament, which has been expanded to feature 18 national teams made up exclusively of domestic-based players, is held every two years, alternating with the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Despite the squad restriction, CHAN matches count as full internationals for player caps as well as in the calculation of the FIFA World Rankings.
The participation of Morocco, the two-time CHAN defending champions, is still up in the air given the team’s plane has not been authorised to travel to Algeria. The tense relations and disputes between the two nations — Algeria cut diplomatic ties in 2021 — led to Algeria closing its airspace to Moroccan aircraft and air travel originating in the country.
If Morocco withdraw from the tournament and the team does not pursue other travel options that would circumvent the travel ban, then the African confederation will be left to shuffle the competitive format at the last moment.
MORE: Updated FIFA World Rankings
What is CHAN 2023? How is it different from AFCON?
The African Nations Championship (CHAN) is a tournament established in 2009 to run biennially to help develop and promote the domestic game in Africa. It’s a showcase for players with many earning transfers to major European clubs on the back of their performances in the tournament.
The CHAN tournament differs from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in one major way, restricting team squads only to players currently plying their trade in their home country’s domestic league. Therefore, for example, Riyad Mahrez is not eligible to play for Algeria, since he plays for Manchester City in England and not for an Algerian domestic club.
CHAN matches are still considered full internationals by FIFA for official record-keeping, counting for caps and the computation of the FIFA world rankings.
The first CHAN tournament in 2009 featured just eight teams. However, the competition has since expanded to 16 in 2011 and now 18 for the current edition (pending Morocco’s participation).
CHAN 2023 live stream, TV channel
Global TV network beIN Sports and African network SuperSport (sub-Saharan region) hold the rights to the 2023 CHAN tournament, and will be broadcasting games in all territories where they can be accessed.
Fans in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, and the United States can watch the tournament on beIN Sports channels.
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | beIN Sports | fuboTV, beIN Sports Connect |
| Australia | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
| Canada | beIN Sports | fuboTV Canada, beIN Sports Connect |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports | beIN Sports, Now Player |
All matches except one start at either 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. locally in Algeria. Below is a table showcasing how those times translate to multiple territories around the world.
| Territory | Zone | Early kickoff | Late kickoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | AEDT | 03:00 | 06:00 |
| Canada | ET | 11:00 | 14:00 |
| Hong Kong | HKT | 00:00 | 03:00 |
| India | IST | 21:30 | 00:30 |
| Malaysia | MT | 00:00 | 03:00 |
| New Zealand | AEDT | 05:00 | 08:00 |
| Singapore | SST | 00:00 | 03:00 |
| United Kingdom | GMT | 16:00 | 19:00 |
| USA | ET | 11:00 | 14:00 |
CHAN 2023 schedule, fixtures, teams
The seventh edition of the 2023 African Nations Championship hosted by Algeria will kick off on January 13, 2023 and run through the final on February 4, 2023.
Pending the status of Morocco’s participation, there will be 18 teams qualified for the tournament from six different regional zones. Only three of the qualified teams — Morocco, Libya and DR Congo — have previously won the tournament.
The group stage will see the 18 teams divided into five groups. Three of the groups will feature four teams (top two advance to knockouts), and the other two groups will have only three teams each (only group winner advance to knockouts).
The eight-team knockout stage will be contested in single-elimination format to produce a winner, with a third-place match also taking place.
If Morocco officially withdraw — their first match in Group C is not until Sunday, January 15 — then organizers will need to make a late change to the tournament format.
Group stage
All matches listed below are listed in local West African Time for kickoff from Algeria. Refer to the table above to translate that time to your local territory.
Group A table table
| Pos | Team | Pts | Matches | W-L-D | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Algeria | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | Libya | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Ethiopia | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 4. | Mozambique | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group A schedule
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan. 13 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Algeria vs. Lybia |
| Sat, Jan. 14 | 13:00 / 08:00 | Ethiopia vs. Mozambique |
| Tue, Jan. 17 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Algeria vs. Ethiopia |
| Tue, Jan. 17 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Mozambique vs. Libya |
| Sat, Jan. 21 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Mozambique vs. Algeria |
| Sat, Jan. 21 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Libya vs. Ethiopia |
Group B table
| Pos | Team | Matches | Pts | W-L-D | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Senegal | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 4. | Uganda | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group B schedule
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Jan. 14 | 16:00 / 11:00 | DR Congo vs. Uganda |
| Sat, Jan. 14 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Ivory Coast vs. Senegal |
| Wed, Jan. 18 | 16:00 / 11:00 | DR Congo vs. Ivory Coast |
| Wed, Jan. 18 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Senegal vs. Uganda |
| Sun, Jan. 22 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Senegal vs. DR Congo |
| Sun, Jan. 22 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Uganda vs. Ivory Coast |
Group C table
| Pos | Team | Matches | Pts | W-L-D | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | Sudan | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Madagascar | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 4. | Ghana | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group C schedule
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, Jan. 15 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Morocco vs. Sudan |
| Sun, Jan. 15 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Madagascar vs. Ghana |
| Thu, Jan. 19 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Morocco vs. Madagascar |
| Thu, Jan. 19 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Ghana vs. Sudan |
| Mon, Jan. 23 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Ghana vs. Morocco |
| Mon, Jan. 23 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Sudan vs. Madagascar |
Group D table
| Pos | Team | Matches | Pts | W-L-D | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mali | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | Angola | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group D schedule
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jan. 16 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Mali vs. Angola |
| Fri, Jan. 20 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Angola vs. Mauritania |
| Tue, Jan. 24 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Mauritania vs. Mali |
Group E table
| Pos | Team | Pts | Matches | W-L-D | Goal Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 2. | Congo | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
| 3. | Niger | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 |
Group E schedule
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jan. 16 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Cameroon vs. Congo |
| Fri, Jan. 20 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Congo vs. Niger |
| Tue, Jan. 24 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Niger vs. Cameroon |
Knockout stage
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan. 27 | 16:00 / 11:00 | QF1: Winner Grp A vs. 2nd Grp B |
| Fri, Jan. 27 | 19:00 / 14:00 | QF2: Winner Grp B vs. Winner Grp D |
| Sat, Jan. 28 | 16:00 / 11:00 | QF3: Winner Grp C vs. 2nd Grp A |
| Sat, Jan. 28 | 19:00 / 14:00 | QF4: Winner Grp E vs. 2nd Grp C |
Semifinals
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan. 31 | 16:00 / 11:00 | Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF3 |
| Tue, Jan. 31 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Winner QF2 vs. Winner QF4 |
Third Place
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Feb. 3 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Loser SF1 vs. Loser SF2 |
Final
| Date | Time (GMT / ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb. 4 | 19:00 / 14:00 | Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 |
CHAN champions all-time: List of winners in history
The CHAN tournament has been held biennially since 2009, now in its seventh edition.
Morocco and DR Congo have each won the tournament twice, jointly the most successful teams in its brief history.
| Year | Host Nation | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Ivory Coast | DR Congo |
| 2011 | Sudan | Tunisia |
| 2014 | South Africa | Libya |
| 2016 | Rwanda | DR Congo |
| 2018 | Morocco | Morocco |
| 2021 | Cameroon | Morocco |
| 2023 | Algeria | TBD |
