Ghana's chances of clinching the maiden African Nations Championship (CHAN) were given a boost with a favourable draw for the tournament to be held in Ivory Coast next year. The local Black Stars will face Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Libya in Group B of the tournament that starts on 22 February. Group A has been branded the 'Group of Death' as hosts Ivory Coast, Zambia, Senegal and Tanzania will lock horns in the capital Abidjan. CHAN is a new Caf competition for home-based national team players that will run in an odd year to its established bigger sister, the Africa Cup of Nations. However, the competition is devoured of key African football powerhouses and recent and record Africa Cup winners like, Egypt, who withdrew from taking part in the CHAN qualifiers. Also missing will be ultimate continental tournament specialists Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa. With the exception of Ivory Coast and Senegal, almost all the qualified nations come with the background of their regular national teams with a strong home-based flavour. CHAN will be a big test for Ivory Coast who have strong regular side consisting wholly of foreign-based players and their usually overlooked domestic pedigree is in for a huge test once the tournament starts. Moreover, despite qualifying for this years Olympics, Ivory Coast have also struggled to make a major impact at junior level with local players whose league has been dominated by ASEC Mimosa for the last decade. Ghana are amongst the favorites while Herve Renard's Zambia are also tipped as potential semifinal material thanks to their strong domestic contingent led by prolific strikers Roger Kola and Given Singuluma both of Zanaco. DR Congo who eliminated Cameroon are also another big contender for the inaugural CHAN qualifiers while Zimbabwe will be hoping the best of a rare big stage appearance on the African football theatre. Tanzania who together with Ghana, Zambia and Libya have all made the finals from a tedious preliminary round of matches are another side looking for better fortunes after two and a half decades away from the big stage. Source: Ghanasoccernet