2018 silver-medallists Nigeria will play their Group B matches of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) on the island of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania located off the East African coast.

Despite a population of less than two million, the island will play host to top-tier continental football as part of a broader East African effort.

Nigeria has been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions Senegal, as well as Congo and Sudan. Congo was reinstated in the group following Equatorial Guinea’s disqualification by the CAF Appeals Committee.

This year’s CHAN, scheduled from 2nd to 30th August, will serve as a crucial preparatory event for East African nations Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, who are jointly hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the opening match will be held at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Kampala’s Mandela Stadium will stage the third and fourth matches, while the grand finale is set for 30th August at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Super Eagles B team, who also secured bronze in the 2014 edition in South Africa, booked their spot in this year’s tournament after defeating Ghana 3-1 on aggregate in a qualifying tie last December.

GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, DR Congo, Zambia (Nairobi)

GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (Dar es Salaam)

GROUP C: Uganda, Niger, Guinea, South Africa, Algeria (Kampala)

GROUP D: Senegal, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria (Zanzibar)