CHAN 2024: Bafana Bafana arrive to warm Ugandan reception
“We are glad to welcome the delegation from South Africa. All has been well, and we wish them a pleasant stay in Uganda,” he said.
The delegation, comprising over 40 people, was given a warm Ugandan welcome, complete with traditional dances and cultural music. (Courtesy Photos/SAFA)
By Chrispus Baluku
Journalists @New Vision
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The South Africa national football team, Bafana Bafana, arrived in Uganda on Sunday aboard a RwandAir flight ahead of the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024.
They were received at Entebbe International Airport by FUFA executive committee member Agnes Mugena, along with members of the Local Organising Committee and protocol officials.
“We are glad to welcome the delegation from South Africa. All has been well, and we wish them a pleasant stay in Uganda,” he said.
“I also call all the fans to come to Namboole and watch the games,” Mugena remarked.
The delegation, comprising over 40 people, was given a warm Ugandan welcome, complete with traditional dances and cultural music.
Some of the South African players joined in the celebration, dancing alongside the Gorilla-costumed performer Patrick Olaupo and a stilt walker known as Abdul Katongole.
South Africa joins Group C of the tournament, where they will face co-hosts Uganda, Niger, Guinea and Algeria.
Their opening match will take place on Friday, August 8, 2025, against Algeria at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, kicking off at 5:00 PM.
The 2024 CHAN tournament is being co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, with matches spread across five venues in four cities.
This year marks the eighth edition of the tournament, which will be the largest in CHAN history, featuring 19 teams in the group stage.
Tanzania opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, August 2.
The final will be played at the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
Co-hosts Uganda are making their seventh appearance in the CHAN finals, the joint-most alongside DR Congo.
Despite their consistency, Uganda has never progressed beyond the group stage. The Uganda Cranes are determined to rewrite that history on home soil and deliver a breakthrough performance in front of their fans.
Algeria, one of the tournament favourites, return with high expectations after finishing runners-up in the last edition held in Algiers in 2022. They also reached the semi-finals during their debut in 2011.
South Africa will be making their fourth CHAN appearance. Their best showing came in 2014 on home soil, when they reached the quarterfinals but were eliminated by Nigeria. Since then, they have failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 editions.
This time, Bafana Bafana return with renewed hope and a squad made up entirely of locally based players, eager to shine and progress beyond the group stage.
Guinea, another Group C team, secured their place at CHAN 2024 with a convincing 6-2 aggregate win over Guinea-Bissau in the qualifiers.