Qualifying round fixturesCentral East Zone: First roundSomalia vs South Sudan Second roundS. Sudan/Somalia vs UgandaTanzania vs RwandaDjibouti vs EthiopiaBurundi vs Sudan Third roundWinner (Uganda/South Sudan/Somalia) vs Winner (Tanzania/Rwanda)Winner (Djibouti/Ethiopia) vs Winner (Burundi/Sudan) Rwanda will play against Tanzania in the second round of the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) Kenya qualifiers for Central and East Zone, according to FERWAFA. The results of the draw were released on Friday evening by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following the climax of the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Libreville, Gabon. Rwanda, who hosted the 2016 edition and reached the quarter-finals, will start her campaign against Tanzania in the second round, in July. The first leg is scheduled to be played on the weekend of July 14-16 in Dar es Salaam before return the leg in Kigali a week later. The last time both Rwanda and Tanzania met was during the 2015 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup, held in Ethiopia, a game that Amavubi lost 1-2 in the group stage round. The winner between Rwanda and Tanzania will take on the Uganda Cranes, which is the favourite to go past the winner between South Sudan and Somalia, in the second round. Should Rwanda edge Tanzania to reach the third round, then they would play the first leg on August 11-13 while the second leg would be staged on August 18-20. As the lowest ranked nations in the Central and East Zone, Somalia and South Sudan will battle it out for a place in the second round when their first-round action starts on April 20-22. The other second round clash will pit rivals Djibouti against Ethiopia and Burundi against Sudan. The second-round winners will meet in the third round where only eventual winners (2 will represent Central and East Zone at next year’s edition, which will be hosted by Kenya. The continental tourney, which is reserved for players, who feature in national domestic leagues, will be staged from January 11 to February 2, 2018. DR Congo are the defending champions after beating Mali 4-0 in the title math at Amahoro National Stadium. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
