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Title holders Senegal host Guinea in key CHAN warm-up matches
Published: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Senegal will face Guinea in back-to-back friendlies in July as both nations intensify their preparations for the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) scheduled for August in East Africa.
The reigning champions Senegal, under new leadership but with the same ambition, have opened camp at the Jules François Bocandé Technical Centre, while Guinea's home-based squad will be setting up temporarily in Dakar after receiving approval to conduct part of their CHAN build-up in Senegal.
The two West African rivals will play each other twice – on 4 and 7 July – at the Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio, a venue that hosted key moments during Senegal's continental successes in recent years.
For Guinea, the decision to base part of their training camp in a neighbouring rival's territory signals a bold strategy: proximity, competition, and the chance to test themselves against the best.
It also offers a psychological edge, given that Senegal were responsible for eliminating Guinea during the last CHAN qualification series.
With the domestic season wrapped up in Conakry, Guinea's technical team will now have a full complement of local players available to face the title holders.
Senegal who won their maiden CHAN crown in 2023 after a dramatic win over hosts Algeria, have begun shaping a squad capable of defending their title.
The stakes are high for Senegal. Drawn in a tough Group D alongside Nigeria, Sudan, and Congo, the Lions B' will use the friendlies to gauge their readiness and build cohesion.
For Guinea's Syli B', grouped with hosts Uganda, Niger, Algeria and South Africain Group C, this two-match series represents a litmus test ahead of their travel to East Africa for the main event.
These friendlies are not just warm-up fixtures — they are symbolic of the pride, pressure, and potential of African football's locally-driven competition.
As both teams continue fine-tuning, the matches in Dakar could reveal which side is more prepared to go the distance when CHAN 2024 kicks off.
