Home-Based Heroes: The Super Eagles’ CHAN Journey
While the main Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) features our superstars flying in from Europe, the African Nations Championship (CHAN) is special. It is the tournament for the “Home-Based” stars—the players sweating it out every weekend in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
For the Super Eagles B Team (often called the CHAN Eagles), this tournament is not just about a trophy; it is a job interview. It is a chance to show the world that you don’t need to play in Chelsea or Napoli to wear the Green and White with pride.
But, like everything in Nigerian football, our CHAN history has been a mixture of “sweet belly” and “high blood pressure.” We have won medals, but we have also watched the tournament on TV when we failed to qualify.
Here is the complete story of Nigeria at CHAN—the goals, the heartbreaks, and the stars who used it as a stepping stone.
What is CHAN? (No, it’s not AFCON!)
First, let’s clear the confusion.
- AFCON: Open to all African players anywhere in the world (Osimhen, Lookman, etc.).
- CHAN: Exclusive to players playing in their country’s domestic league (e.g., players from Enyimba, Remo Stars, Kano Pillars).
For the Nigerian fan, CHAN is the true test of our local league’s strength. If our league is strong, our CHAN team should be dominating Africa. But as we know, “na condition make crayfish bend.”
2014: The Debut & The “Ejike Uzoenyi” Show
Nigeria missed the first two editions (2009, 2011), but we arrived with a bang in South Africa 2014.
Led by the “Big Boss” Stephen Keshi (who had just won the 2013 AFCON), the team was fearless.
The star of the show was the diminutive magician, Ejike Uzoenyi.
- The Miracle against Morocco: In the Quarter-Finals, we were down 3-0 at halftime. Yes, 3-0. The viewing centers were empty. But in the second half, the Eagles flew. We equalized to 3-3 and won 4-3 in extra time. It remains one of the greatest comebacks in Nigerian football history.
- The Result: We lost to Ghana in the semis (on penalties, of course) but beat Zimbabwe to win the Bronze Medal.
- The Legacy: Uzoenyi was named the Player of the Tournament (MVP), proving that NPFL players have world-class quality.
2018: So Close, Yet So Far (The Silver Medal)
After crashing out in the group stages in 2016 (Rwanda), the Eagles bounced back in Morocco 2018.
Coached by Salisu Yusuf, this team wasn’t the most flashy, but they were solid. We had Ikechukwu Ezenwa in goal (who was stopping everything) and Gabriel Okechukwu scoring vital goals.
We marched all the way to the Final to face the hosts, Morocco.
Sadly, the final was a disaster. The weather was freezing, it was raining, and the Moroccans were on fire.
- The Final Score: Morocco 4 – 0 Nigeria.
- The Pain: We watched Ayoub El Kaabi tear our defense apart. We came home with the Silver Medal, our best finish to date, but the heavy defeat left a bitter taste.
The “Dark Years” & The Jollof Derby
Being a CHAN Eagles fan requires patience. After 2018, we entered a period of drought.
- Missed Out (2020 & 2022): We failed to qualify for back-to-back tournaments. The most painful was losing the ticket to Ghana (The Black Galaxies) on penalties in Abuja. Watching our neighbors celebrate on our turf is something we never want to see again.
However, we took our revenge during the qualifiers for the 2024/2025 CHAN.
Playing against Ghana again, the Home-Based Eagles, fueled by the desire for revenge, secured a 3-1 aggregate win to book their ticket to East Africa. It was a sweet victory that restored some pride to the NPFL.
The 2025 Disaster (Sudan Shock)
The return to the big stage in February 2025 (hosted in East Africa) was supposed to be our comeback party. Instead, it became a nightmare.
Drawn in a group that looked manageable, the team, led by Eric Chelle, fell apart.
- The Low Point: A humiliating 4-0 defeat to Sudan.
- The Result: We crashed out in the group stages, finishing bottom of the group.
It was a harsh reality check that showed there is still a lot of work to do to bridge the gap between our league and the rest of the continent.
Super Eagles CHAN Record
Here is the quick breakdown of our journey:
| Year | Host Country | Performance | Key Player/Coach |
| 2009 | Ivory Coast | Did Not Qualify | – |
| 2011 | Sudan | Did Not Qualify | – |
| 2014 | South Africa | 3rd Place (Bronze) | Ejike Uzoenyi / Stephen Keshi |
| 2016 | Rwanda | Group Stage | Chisom Chikatara |
| 2018 | Morocco | Runners-up (Silver) | Ikechukwu Ezenwa / Salisu Yusuf |
| 2020 | Cameroon | Did Not Qualify | – |
| 2022 | Algeria | Did Not Qualify | – |
| 2024/25 | East Africa | Group Stage | – |
Notable Players Who Used CHAN as a Stepping Stone
CHAN is often a launchpad. Many players shone here and moved to bigger clubs or the main Super Eagles team.
- Chisom Chikatara: The “Kolanut Boy” dazzled in 2016 with a hat-trick against Niger before moving to Wydad Casablanca.
- Ikechukwu Ezenwa: His heroics in 2018 cemented his spot as a backup goalkeeper for the main Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup.
- Sunday Mba: Although famous for his AFCON 2013 goal, he was a key home-based talent who bridged the gap between the two teams.
- Stephen Eze: The towering defender used the 2018 tournament to secure a move to Europe.
Why CHAN Matters to the Nigerian Fan
You might ask, “Why should I spend N5000 on data to stream CHAN matches?”
- Pride of the NPFL: It is the only time we see players from Kano Pillars, Enyimba, and Remo Stars unite.
- Discovery: You get to see the next big thing before they are sold to Europe.
- The Rivalries: Matches against Ghana or Cameroon in CHAN are just as heated as the main team. The “Jollof Derby” knows no boundaries.
The Future: Can We Finally Win Gold?
The NFF and the league management body (NPFL) have a big task. Teams like Morocco and Senegal have dominated CHAN recently because their academies are organized.
For Nigeria to lift the CHAN trophy, we need better preparation. We cannot assemble players two weeks before the tournament and expect magic. The talent is there—from the streets of Ajegunle to the pitches in Jos—but the “packaging” needs work.
We have the Bronze. We have the Silver. The only thing missing in our cabinet is the CHAN Gold.