Uganda, Algeria advance as South Africa, Guinea, Niger exit CHAN 2024
Sports
By
Mike Kihaki
| Aug 19, 2025
Group C of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) Pamoja 2024 concluded on a dramatic note, with Uganda’s Cranes, Algeria’s local Greens securing passage to the quarter-finals.
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Guinea and Niger bowed out after failing to gather enough points to stay in contention.
Uganda emerged top of the group with seven points from four matches, their journey marked by resilience and attacking flair.
After a sobering 3–0 defeat to Algeria in their opening game, the Cranes bounced back with emphatic wins over Guinea (3–0) and Niger (2–0). In their final outing, they shared spoils in a thrilling 3–3 stalemate with South Africa, bringing their goal tally to eight while conceding six.
The result confirmed their place among the last eight, a boost for the home fans who have rallied behind the team throughout the group stage.
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Algeria claimed second spot with six points, though their campaign ended in frustration following a 0–0 draw with Niger in Nairobi.
The North Africans opened with a commanding 3–0 win against Uganda but faltered in subsequent fixtures, drawing three straight matches against South Africa (1–1), Guinea (1–1), and Niger (0–0). Despite scoring only five goals, their disciplined defence conceding just twice proved vital in ensuring progress.
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana matched Algeria on six points after drawing with the Cranes in a six-goal thriller. However, Bafana Bafana’s painful exit comes on goal difference. South Africa’s only victory came against Guinea (2–1), two goalless stalemates with Niger and Algeria, and the pulsating 3–3 draw against Uganda on the final day.
With six goals scored and five conceded, they demonstrated resilience and attacking quality that carried them through.
Guinea’s journey ended with four points from four matches. Their lone win came against Niger (1–0), followed by a heavy defeat to Uganda, a narrow loss to South Africa, and a hard-fought draw with Algeria. Despite flashes of promise, it was not enough to progress.
Niger finished bottom with two points and failed to score a single goal throughout their campaign. They picked up draws against South Africa and Algeria but suffered defeats to Uganda and Guinea. For the Mena, the tournament highlighted resilience but also a lack of cutting edge in attack.