CAF Champions League
Excitement as five debutant clubs go on parade at new season of CAF Champions League
There are five clubs who will be making debut as the new season of the CAF Champions League kicks off this Friday.
The season begins with the first preliminary round matches being played across the continent.
Burkina Faso’s Rail Club de Kadiogo will be returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2006 and they will take on Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko in the first match of the new season in Ouagadougou.
Defending champions Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco and compatriots Raja Club Athletic, Tunisia’s Esperance, record champions and last season’s losing finalists Al Ahly, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns have all been exempted from the first round.
CAFOnline.com looks at the first round in perspective, and what to expect as the new interclub season rolls off.
Debutant Teams:
Zalan FC (South Sudan) – Zalan, based in the South Sudanese region of Rumbek are playing the Champions League for the first time in their history after their maiden victory in the Premier League last season. They begin their campaign at home and will face Tanzania’s Young Africans.
ASN Nigelec (Niger) – Ningelec won the Nigerien Premier League for the first time ever and booked their maiden sojourn to the Champions League. They have one prior continental football experience, having played in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2014, where they lost to Algeria’s CS Constantine 4-3 in the first round. They will take on another debutant, Guinea’s Academie SOAR who won the title last season.
Flambeau du Centre (Burundi) – The Gitega based team clinched their first ever league title after a 2-1 final day victory over Athletico New Oil Academy. They thus qualified to represent Burundi in the Champions League for the very first time. They will take on Libya’s Al Ittihad in the first round.
Watanga FC (Liberia) – Watanga clinched the Liberian premier League title for the first time ever and will make their Champions League debut. They travel to Nigeria for a first round date against seasones side Rivers United.
Associaçao Black Bulls (Mozambique) – The Mozambican club won the top flight for the first time ever and earned a debut in continental football, with a ticket to the Champions League. They will take on experienced Angolan side Petro de Luanda in the first preliminary round.
Here is the schedule:
* All times are in GMT
Friday 09 September 2022
Time Match Venue City
- 16:00 Rail Club de Kadiogo (Burkina Faso) – Asante Kotoko (Ghana) Stade de Yamoussoukro Yamoussoukro
Saturday 10 September 2022
- 12:30 Volcan Club de Moroni (Comoros) – La Passe FC (Seychelles) Stade Moroni Malouzini Moroni
- 13:00 APR FC (Rwanda) – US Monastirienne (Tunisia) Huye Stadium Huye
- 13:00 Zalan FC Rumbek (South Sudan) – Young Africans (Tanzania) National Stadium Dar Es Salaam
- 13:00 Cape Town City FC (South Africa) – AS Otohô (Congo) Athlone Stadium Cape Town
- 13:00 Red Arrows FC (Zambia) – CD Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) Heroes National Stadium Lusaka
- 13:00 Nyasa Big Bullets FC (Malawi) – Simba SC (Tanzania) Bingu National Stadium Lilongwe
- 14:00 Matlama FC (Lesotho) – Coton Sport (Cameroon) Free State Stadium Mangaung
- 14:30 ASO Stade Mandji (Gabon) – Plateau United FC (Nigeria) Stade de la Rénovation Franceville
- 15:00 Olympic Real de Bangui (CAR) – Vipers SC (Uganda) Stade Alphonse Massamba Debat Brazzaville
- 15:00 CD Mongomo (Equatorial Guinea) – Djoliba AC (Mali) Estadio de Mongomo Mongomo
- 15:30 ASN Nigelec (Niger) – SOAR (Guinea) Stade Général Senyi Kountché Niamey
- 16:00 BO Rangers FC (Sierra Leone) – CR Belouizdad (Algeria) Samuel Kayon Doe Sports Complex Paynesville
- 16:00 KMKM SC (Zanzibar) – Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) Amaan Stadium Zanzibar City
Sunday 11 September 2022
Time Match Venue City
- 13:00 Saint George SC (Ethiopia) – Al Hilal (Sudan) Bahir Dar National Stadium Bahir Dar
- 13:00 Flambeau du Centre (Burundi) – Al Ittihad (Sudan) Azam Complex Dar Es Salaam
- 13:00 CFFA (Madagascar) – Royal Leopards FC (Eswatini) Stade Kianja Barea Antananarivo
- 14:00 Arta Solar 7 (Djibouti) – Al Merrikh (Sudan) Stade El hadj Hassan Gouled Djibouti Ville
- 15:00 Rivers United FC (Nigeria) – Watanga FC (Liberia) Adokiye Amiesimaka International Stadium Port Harcourt
- 16:00 Coton Sport Benin (Benin) – ASEC Mimosas (CIV) Stade de l’Amitié, Mathieu Kérékou Cotonou
- 16:00 ASKO de Kara (Togo) – FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) Stade de Kegue Lomé
- 16:00 Gaborone United SC (Botswana) – AS Vita Club (DR Congo) National Stadium Gaborone
- 17:00 Casamance FC (Senegal) – JS Kabylie (Algeria) Stade Lat dior Thiès
- 13:00 Associaçao Black Bulls (Mozambique) – Petro Luanda (Angola) Estadio Nacional de Zimpeto Maputo
Sunday 18 September 2022
Time Match Venue City
- 15:00 Elect Sport (Chad) – Zamalek (Egypt) Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium Yaoundé
Clubs that received bye to Second Preliminary Round
- Al Ahly (Egypt), Esperance (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Raja Club Athletic (Morocco), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco).
- Besides Horoya AC (Mali) is qualified for the next round following the withdrawal of Gambia’s Hawks FC.
Egypt’s Pyramids claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa. This led to a 3-2 aggregate success. They celebrated their first African Champions League title. This triumph occurred following the second leg of this year’s final at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday.
The first leg in Pretoria finished 1-1. Fiston Mayele gave Pyramids the lead on 23 minutes. He profited from a Sundowns defensive error. Ahmed Samy doubled the advantage on 56 minutes. He scored with a header from a free-kick.
Sundowns pulled a goal back through Iqraam Rayners with 15 minutes remaining. One more goal would have given them victory in the tie on the away goals rule. However, Pyramids held firm despite heavy pressure from the visitors.
Pyramids are the fourth Egyptian side to lift the Champions League trophy after record 12-time winners Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily. Meanwhile, 2016 champions Sundowns head to this month’s Club World Cup in the United States on a low note.
-Reuters
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- 1. Pyramids aim to become the first new CAF Champions League winner since Sundowns (2016), the 13th in the modern era, and the 27th overall.
- 2. This is the 19th Champions League-era final featuring an Egyptian club. Previous teams (Al Ahly 10, Zamalek 1) have won 11 titles.
- 3. Including the pre-Champions League era, this is the 29th final for an Egyptian club, with 18 wins and 10 losses.
- 4. Pyramids have played only 1 of their last 9 matches at home but are unbeaten in their last 23 home games this season (W19 D4) and last 28 overall (W24 D4).
- 5. Pyramids scored in 22 of 23 home games this season; the only blank was a 0-0 draw vs Al Masry.
- 6.This season, they’ve won all 7 home matches, scoring 26 and conceding 6, with one clean sheet. In total, they’ve lost just 1 of 11 home matches in the competition.
- 7. Fiston Mayele leads with 8 goals in 12 matches (5 since group stage); Ibrahim Adel has 6 (also 5 post-group stage).
- 8. Ramadan Sobhi has 5 assists in 9 games (joint-most), plus 2 goals. He’s had major impact off the bench twice.
- 9. Askary Chibi has created 20 chances since the group stage — the most for Pyramids.
- 10. Pyramids have kept 3 clean sheets this season, all away, but remain dominant at home
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- 1. Sundowns are in their third CAF Champions League final (2001, 2016, 2024).
- 2. South African Record: First South African club to reach three finals, surpassing Orlando Pirates (2).
- 3. Sundowns hosted the first leg in all three finals. In 2001, they drew 1-1 at home and lost 2-0 away to Al Ahly.
- 4. Sundowns beat Zamalek 3-0 at home, lost 1-0 away, and won 3-1 on aggregate.
- 5. Sundowns have never scored in an away leg of a Champions League final, conceding five in total.
- 6. The current final marks the second time Sundowns led at home and failed to win (also in 2001).
- 7. A defeat would make Sundowns the first South African side to lose two finals.
- 8. Sundowns are unbeaten in their last 10 matches vs Egyptian opposition (4wins and 6 draws).
- 9. Sundowns are unbeaten in their last 4 visits to Egypt (2 wins and 2 draws).
- 10. A win would make Sundowns the first team since Al Ahly (2012) to win the title after failing to win the home leg.
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