CAF withdraws tournament from Kenya
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided on Sunday to qualify Egypt for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN 2018) finals after Morocco was named as host country.
Egypt had originally failed to qualify for the tournament after losing to Morocco in the playoffs. However, with Morocco taking the role of tournament host, an extra place has become available in the North Zone, and Egypt has been assigned to that place.
"Following the designation of Morocco as host of Total CHAN 2018, the CAF Emergency Committee, meeting in Lagos, decided to qualify Egypt for the final tournament," CAF said in a statement on its website.
"It will be Egypt's very first participation in this competition, running since 2009, which will be in its fifth edition, bringing together only players playing in the championships of their countries," the statement added.
The tournament is scheduled to be played from 12 January to 4 February 2018.
CHAN was first announced by CAF on 11 September 2007, pitting the best national teams of Africa against each other.
Only those players who are active in the domestic championships and qualified to play in the ongoing season are permitted to take part.
The tournament is held every two years, alternating with the Africa Cup of Nations.
The first tournament was held in Ivory Coast in 2009, with the Democratic Republic of Congo taking the title. The competition was expanded to 16 teams for the second tournament, which took place in Sudan in 2011, with Tunisia taking home the trophy.
Libya won the 2014 edition, held in South Africa, while DR Congo won again in 2016, this time in Rwanda.
CAF has released the list of 16 countries qualified for Total CHAN 2018, as follows:
North Zone: Egypt, Libya, Morocco
Eastern Central Zone: Ethiopia, Uganda
Central Zone: Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea
West Zone A: Guinea, Mauritania
West Zone B: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria
Southern Zone: Angola, Namibia, Zambia
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