The Confederation of African Football (CAF) online ticketing portal crashed on Tuesday, minutes after sales went live for Harambee Stars' CHAN 2024 group stage matches. This left thousands of Kenyan football fans stranded in their attempt to purchase tickets.

• Most important fact or figure from the article: The platform went live at noon but was overwhelmed by heavy traffic within minutes.
• Key person or organization involved: Soccer fan James Ochieng expressed frustration, stating, “I had been refreshing the page for hours, but it just kept crashing.” Organizations involved include: Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
• Notable detail that adds context: CAF recently fined the FKF Sh12.8 million for security lapses and reduced Kasarani Stadium’s capacity from 48,000 to 27,000 following crowd trouble in a match against Morocco.

The Harambee Stars, Kenya's national football team, secured a historic 1-0 victory against Zambia at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday, August 17, 2025, continuing their impressive run in the African Nations Championships (CHAN) 2024. This win, achieved despite being in a tough group with powerhouses like Morocco, propels them into the quarterfinals.

• The decisive goal in the match against Zambia was scored by Ryan Ogam.
• The team's recent success is largely attributed to its head coach, South African tactician Benni McCarthy, who joined the Harambee Stars in March.
• The Harambee Stars will now face Madagascar in their quarterfinal match on Friday, vying for further glory and increased financial incentives in the knockout stages.

Madagascar secured a spot in the CHAN 2024 quarter-finals by defeating Burkina Faso 2-1 on August 16, 2025, in Zanzibar. They will now face Kenya in Nairobi on Friday.

• Madagascar finished second in Group B with seven points after initially struggling with only one point from their first two matches.
• Head coach Romuald Rakotondrabe praised his team's fighting spirit and character, highlighting the difficulty of their victory against Burkina Faso.
• This marks Madagascar's second consecutive appearance in the Chan knockout stage, showcasing their growing strength as a football nation.

President William Ruto's financial pledges have significantly motivated the Harambee Stars during their impressive run in the CHAN 2024 tournament. The team's strong performance, fueled by these incentives, has led to substantial financial rewards and boosted their morale.

• The Harambee Stars have accumulated Sh210 million in potential earnings from President Ruto's pledges of Sh1 million per win and Sh500,000 per draw.
• President William Ruto and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed are key figures.
• Each player is set to receive Sh5 million from their three wins and one draw in the preliminaries, with an additional promise of two-bedroom apartments if they win their quarterfinal match against Madagascar on August 22.