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niger vs guinea

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Silas

Niger and Guinea face off at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Monday, August 4, 2025, in their opening Group C match of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN)[2][6]. This highly anticipated clash marks only the second time these sides meet at the finals of this tournament, the previous encounter in 2016 ending in a 2-2 draw[2][3].

Niger, ranked 121st in the world, are making their third consecutive CHAN appearance and their fifth overall. They achieved their best result in the previous edition by reaching the semi-finals but have shown inconsistent form in 2025, with two losses in their last three games and a single convincing win (6-0 over Bonaire, a non-FIFA side)[1]. The Menas head into CHAN with a solid preparation, only losing once in seven warm-up matches and recording four clean sheets. Coach Ezzaki Badou has retained most of the squad from the recent World Cup qualifiers, focusing on defensive strength to bolster their campaign[3].

Guinea, returning after missing the 2022 edition, have a strong CHAN pedigree, having reached the semi-finals twice in their past three appearances and claiming third place in 2020[1]. They qualified for this tournament by defeating Guinea-Bissau 6-2 on aggregate in the WAFU Zone A qualifiers[2]. However, they are without several key overseas-based players due to the tournament’s home-based player restriction. Recent results for Guinea are mixed, with a notable win against Guinea-Bissau but some goalless draws and narrow defeats in World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers[3].

Historically, Guinea have a slight upper hand, winning two of the previous four matches between the teams, while Niger has won once[3]. CHAN, unlike the Africa Cup of Nations, features only players active in their domestic leagues. This year’s tournament is uniquely co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, running from August 2 to 30, 2025, and features 19 teams[4].

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