The 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) has been postponed until August – just 18 days before the tournament was due to kick off in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

A Confederation of African Football (Caf) statement, external said its experts had advised that “more time is required” to ensure the infrastructure and facilities for the finals are “at the levels necessary”.

Last month Kenya’s then-sports minister moved to allay concerns that the country might lose hosting rights for the competition, which is for domestic-based players.

The 2024 CHAN was set to take place between 1 and 28 February, with some countries having already announced their squads and begun training camps.

Caf will announce the exact dates of the rescheduled tournament “in due course”.

“I am confident that the stadiums, other infrastructure and facilities will be at the requisite Caf standards for hosting, in August 2025, a very successful CHAN,” Caf president Patrice Motsepe said.

CHAN 2024 hosting rights were awarded in December 2023, and the second-tier competition is considered as a dress rehearsal before Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda become the first three-way hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027.