- Both CHAN and AFCON are organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
- The primary difference between the two tournaments is that CHAN is only meant for players playing in local (domestic) leagues.
- The prize money of AFCON is usually higher than that of CHAN.
Football is one of the most played and watched sport events in the African continent, with the AFCON viewership increasing every year
Unlike in the past, most African parents have started to introduce their kids to the beautiful game at a younger age, with the hopes that it will help them earn a living someday.
The surging number of children, both boys and girls playing the sport, has led to a significant increase in football academies.
Some of these kids have gone on to represent their beloved countries in different tournaments including the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), African Nations Championships (CHAN) and the FIFA World Cup.
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However, although most football fans are aware that CHAN and AFCON is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), some of them struggle to differentiate between the two tournaments.
SportPesa Blog looks at the primary difference between CHAN and AFCON that are scheduled to kick off in August, 2025 and December, 2025 respectively.
Dates founded
The first AFCON tournament was played in February 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan while teams participated in the maiden CHAN event in March, 2009 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
A total of eight nations including the hosts, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Libya, Ghana and Senegal took part in the maiden CHAN tournament.
On the other hand, only three countries participated in the first ever AFCON tournament. These teams were Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
Prize money
CAF recently increased CHAN’s total prize money to a whopping $10.4 million in order to make it more competitive.
“We are excited about the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 and have significantly increased the prize money of the winner to USD 3.5 million which is an increase of 75%.
We have also increased the total prize money of the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2024 to USD 10.4 million which is a 32% increase,” read part of the statement from CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.
At the same time, CAF announced that the winners of the upcoming AFCON tournament will pocket a mouthwatering USD 7 million. The event will be hosted by Morocco.
In short, the prize money that will be paid to the winners of AFCON from now henceforth is double what the CHAN Champions will receive.
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Players
The main difference between AFCON and CHAN is that the latter is meant for players playing in local leagues (national leagues).
For instance, players like Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Harambee Stars Captain Michael Olunga, who features for Qatari based side Al-Duhail FC are not eligible to play in CHAN.
Objective and participation
The main goal of the AFCON tournament is to give nations the honour of being the champions of Africa while CHAN aims to give local players an opportunity to display their talents.
Meanwhile, 24 countries usually take part in the AFCON tournament while 18 participate in CHAN.
Finally, both CHAN and AFCON are recognized by the world governing body FIFA with all the results included in the global rankings.
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