AFCON 2027: Tchad risk not participating
With two weeks to go before a crucial meeting against Burundi for the preliminary round of AFCON 2027, Chadian football is holding its breath. Plagued by a financial crisis, the Chadian Federation is faced with a dilemma: to manage to find sufficient funding or to declare non-compliance to limit CAF sanctions.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
A sense of déjà vu. While the Chadian people hoped to see their Sao roar again on the continental scene, the sky seems to darken once again from N'Djamena. A little more than 15 days before the crucial clash against Burundi, counting for the preliminary round of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, the Chadian Federation of Football Association (FTFA) is on the edge of the precipice.
A bankruptcy that leads to forfeiture
According to the information reported by Tchadinfos Sport, the federation’s coffers are desperately empty. This financial impasse threatens not only the preparation of the players, but the very organization of the meeting.
Faced with this brutal reality, the leaders of the FTFA are now considering a solution already applied in the past: the package deal. This choice, although painful, is akin to a survival strategy. By throwing in the towel proactively, the federation hopes to negotiate leniency with the CAF and avoid devastating financial and disciplinary sanctions related to a last-minute organizational failure.
"Rather than exposing itself to penalties that it could not honor, the FTFA prefers to sacrifice its immediate sporting ambitions."
Eternal beginning again for the Sao
This setback is all the more cruel as Chadian football has historically struggled to establish itself sustainably in the African elite. Chad has never managed to qualify for a final phase of the African Cup of Nations, while the country’s last participation in qualifiers dates back to those of AFCON 2025. ODS were then included in group G (with Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia and Sierra Leone).
If the package were to be effective, lovers of Chadian football would not be particularly surprised. In 2016, Chad had already withdrawn from the qualifiers for the AFCON 2017 in full competition, already citing financial reasons, which led to its suspension for the following edition.
Imminent decision
Recently, the president of the Chadian Federation of Association Football, Tahir Oloy Hassan, announced the establishment of an organizing committee responsible for supervising the first leg of the round against Burundi. The meeting is scheduled for March 27, 2026 at the Maréchal Idriss Déby Itno Olympic Stadium in N'Djamena.
The winner of this double confrontation will advance to the qualifying group stage for the AFCON 2027. A hypothesis that is now taking lead in the wing, while waiting for what decision will finally be made, or if funding will be found. In case of withdrawal, the Sao will once again remain at the dock, to the great displeasure of their supporters.