THE 2022 African Nations Championship (Chan) kicked off last night when hosts Algeria faced Libya at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.

This tournament differs from the more well-known Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), and indeed from other international tournaments, in that each nation is limited to picking players from its domestic league only.

This can lead to a different dynamic from the one seen at Afcon where many of the players are based in Europe and already playing at a high level.

Successful nations in Chan (the abbreviation comes from the French, Championnat d’Afrique des Nations) are naturally those with strong club teams at domestic level, and the winners often reflect the performance of club teams in the CAF Champions League.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo won the first edition in 2009 in the same year African football giants, TP Mazembe, from the DR Congo city of Lubumbashi, won the Champions League.  

In 2011, Tunisia’s win aligned with the success of Esperance Sportive de Tunis in the Champions League.

DR Congo have since claimed Chan glory again, in 2016, while Morocco have won the previous two tournaments, which might not be considered a surprise given the strength of two clubs from Casablanca, Wydad and Raja.

Wydad Casablanca won the most recent Champions League in May 2022, reached the final in 2019, and won their first Champions League since 1992 in 2017.

Though a nation can win on the back of a strong team or two in their domestic league, this tournament can be a test of the strength of a nation’s domestic league across the board.

It also has the potential to throw up a surprise, as it did in 2014 when Libya defeated Ghana on penalties in the final in South Africa.

“Chan is an excellent tournament that we won in 2014,” Libya head coach Corentin Martins said ahead of this year’s opener.

“We wish success to Algeria, the organising country, for the success of this edition, and the opening match is always difficult, but we will give everything we have to honour Libyan football.

“We know the Algerian national team and we will show our potential during the [north African] derby.

“We have the honour to play the first match against Algeria, the host country, and to be present during the opening ceremony.”

Chan has taken place in alternate years to Afcon since the first edition in 2009, but one team that hasn’t been present is Egypt.

The north-east African country would no doubt be one of the more successful teams in this tournament if they participated, especially given the strength of clubs such as al-Ahly and Zamalek, but the nation’s FA would rather focus on the domestic league itself, which clashes with the tournament, than release players for international duty in a non-Fifa window.

Tunisia also withdrew from this year’s tournament, as did Morocco at the final hour due to political tensions between neighbours and hosts Algeria and no permission for direct flights from Morocco to Algeria for the team’s airline, Royal Air Maroc, as a result of those issues.

A Morocco squad of mostly foreign-based players impressed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but may not have the chance to show the strength of their domestic league in Chan, though there were rumblings yesterday that they might have changed their mind once more. 

Regardless, Morocco will still host the Fifa Club World Cup next month, and Champions League winners Wydad Casablanca will take part which in itself will be a test of their domestic league.

If Morocco do withdraw, it means at least one of Sudan or the tournament’s only debutants, Madagascar, will now qualify from Group C in which the other team, Ghana, are the favourites to progress, though the west African teams are not considered as strong in this tournament as they are in Afcon.

This is due to the relative weakness of domestic leagues, but also the fact many of the best young players will play for independent academies rather than domestic club teams.

This edition of Chan was originally scheduled for July 2022 but delayed due to scheduling issues forced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the busy international calendar which followed, including the World Cup.

The tournament will be free to air in many African countries, while areas where there is no broadcaster, such as Britain, should be able to watch games on CAF’s YouTube channel, CAFTV.

The African Nations Championship might not have the high-profile coverage or familiar names seen at Afcon tournaments, but this makes it all the more intriguing as it is a test of the strength of the football being played in the respective nations’ leagues.