The CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) has already claimed its first major casualties, with nine teams officially eliminated from the competition.

South Africa joined Mauritania, Guinea, Angola, the Central African Republic, Zambia, Nigeria, Niger Republic, and Burkina Faso on the exit list after a dramatic 3-3 draw against Uganda in their final Group C clash on Monday.

Uganda’s resilience earned them top spot in Group C with seven points from four matches, while Algeria advanced as runners-up with six points and a superior goal difference over South Africa, who also collected six points but fell short on goal difference. Guinea and Niger rounded off the group with four and two points respectively.

The competition, however, is far from over. More decisive fixtures are on the horizon, with Nigeria set to take on Congo and Sudan preparing for a clash against Senegal on Tuesday.

The group stage drama continues, but for nine nations, the dream of CHAN 2024 has already come to an end.