Congo, Sudan set for historic first CHAN clash in Group D opener

Congo's Red Devils team led by head coach Barthélémy Ngatsono. [CHAN]

Congo and Sudan will lock horns for the first time in the history of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Tuesday evening, meeting in the opening Group D match. 

According to information on the official CAF website, both sides are seeking redemption after disappointing campaigns in the previous edition and are eager to start the 2024 tournament on a winning note.

For Congo, this marks their fifth appearance at CHAN and the fourth in a row. 

The Central African side will be hoping to overcome a recent dry spell in front of goal, having failed to score in their last three tournament matches, including a goalless draw with Niger and narrow 1-0 losses to Cameroon and Mali in 2022.

Despite reaching the quarterfinals in both 2018 and 2020, Congo has struggled to make a consistent impact. 

Their CHAN journey is defined by tight matches; notably, all four of their previous tournament openers ended in 1-0 scorelines, with one win (vs. Cameroon in 2018) and three defeats.

CAF reports that Congo has secured five CHAN victories overall, four of them by 1-0 margins, and their biggest win came in 2018 with a 2-0 triumph over Burkina Faso. 

However, they head into this encounter without a win in their last three group-stage outings.

Meanwhile, Sudan returns for their fourth CHAN appearance, looking to recapture the form that saw them finish third in 2011 and reach the semifinals again in 2018. 

The East African side, however, had a tournament to forget in 2022, crashing out in the group stage after suffering back-to-back losses, including a 3-1 opening defeat to Ghana.

Sudan’s early CHAN record was impressive, going unbeaten in their first six group-stage matches across the 2011 and 2018 editions. But the team has since hit a rough patch, failing to win any of their last four CHAN matches in open play.

Statistics shared by CAF indicate that Sudan's last victory in regular time dates back to the 2018 quarterfinals, when they edged Zambia 1-0.

Despite their recent struggles, Sudan qualified for CHAN 2024 through a hard-fought CECAFA Zone playoff against Tanzania, ultimately winning 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw.

Additional information by CAF