CAF Champions League
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: LOBI STARS SEEK REDEMPTION IN MOROCCO
BY APESIN ADEMOLA
Lobi Stars will step out at Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah to see how well they can revive their hope of progressing to the quarterfinals of this season’s CAF Champions League. After only one win in three group matches, the Pride of Benue lie in third position, three points off the qualifying zone.
The devastating effects of their home defeat to tonight’s opponents Wydad Casablanca should ring in the ears of Solomon Ogbeide’s squad and spur them to get result in this all-important fixture.
After three matches, Lobi Stars have collected only three points as against six by log leaders Wydad and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Nigerian champions are poor travellers having lost all their away matches in the competition: 1-2 to Cameroon’s UMS de Loum in the premilinary round, 1-3 to Gor Mahia of Kenya in the first round and 0-1 to ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire on Matchday 2 of the group stage.
Given the poor run of Nigerian teams against north African opposition, this is a match to dread for Lobi Stars, who will however be buoyed by the return to action of left back Chidiebube Duru from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the first leg against Wydad.
Reflecting on that loss to their Moroccan guests in Enugu, Duru told Goal, “we have realised what we did wrong at home and are expecting a positive result in Casablanca because we have prepared very well for the game and have corrected the mistakes noticed in our last game with them.
“I am happy that I have overcome my injury worries and looking forward to helping my team against Wydad Casablanca. We do not expect an easy game and we are going to give our hosts a big push for the three points.”
In the other match of the group, ASEC Mimosas will strive to pay Mamelodi Sundowns in their own coins having lost the earlier game 1-3 in Johannesburg.
Sundowns have been in Abidjan since Thursday to acclimatise and be adequately prepared for the task ahead. That gives them confidence that they will be the first team to score against Mimosas at home in this season’s Champions League.
In Group C, the re-entry of Ismaily has thrown up new challenges for the teams involved here. CAF announced earlier in the week that the Egyptian side won their appeal against their earlier expulsion from the competition on account of crowd troubles.
That restored Ismaily’s matches with DR Congo’s TP Mazembe and Club Africain of Tunisia with the latter now heading the group on superior goal difference over Algeria’s CS Constantine. Both clubs now have six points each as against three by Club Africain and none for Ismaily.
CAF is yet to announce when Ismaily’s outstanding matches will be played.
Meanwhile, Club Africain host Mazembe with the aim of winning their second match of the group stage and drawing level on points with their opponents and CS Constantine.
In Group B, title holders Espérance and Orlando Pirates go head-to-head in Tunis in a battle of the frontrunners. Both teams lead the other pair – Horoya and FC Platinum, who also face themselves – by two points.
Veteran title winners Al-Ahly are away to Simba in Dar-es-Salam and will stay on top of Group D if they avoid defeat to the team they walloped 5-0 in the first leg.
Vita Club, who travel to Algeria to face JS Saoura, queue behind Al-Ahly who are three points better.
Matchday 4 fixtures
Group A:
- Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) v Lobi Stars (Nigeria) (first leg Wydad Casablanca 1-0) (8pm)
- ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire) v Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) (first leg Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1) (5pm)
Group B:
- Espérance (Tunisia) v Orlando Pirates (South Africa) (first leg 0-0)
- Horoya (Guinea) v FC Platinum (Zimbabwe) (first leg Horoya 1-0) (both 2pm)
Group C:
- Club Africain (Tunisia) v TP Mazembe (DR Congo) (first leg TP Mazembe 8-0) (5pm)
Group D:
- Simba (Tanzania) v Al-Ahly (Egypt) (first leg Al-Ahly 5-0) (2pm)
- JS Saoura (Algeria) v AS Vita Club (DR Congo) (first leg 2-2) (8pm)
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will conduct the quarter-final draws for the 2025/26 editions of its two flagship interclub competitions — the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup — on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo.
The CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final draw is scheduled to begin at 13:00 Cairo time (11:00 GMT), followed by the CAF Champions League quarter-final draw at 14:00 Cairo time (12:00 GMT).
The ceremonies will be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube platform, CAF TV, allowing fans across the continent and beyond to follow proceedings in real time.
Road to the Finals Takes Shape
The draws will determine not only the quarter-final pairings but also the pathway to the finals in both competitions, effectively mapping out the remaining knockout journey for Africa’s elite clubs.
With the group stages concluded, the quarter-finals mark the beginning of direct elimination football — a phase traditionally defined by tactical discipline, squad depth and mental resilience. Clubs will be keenly watching the draw to gauge potential heavyweight clashes or favourable routes to the semi-finals.
In the Champions League, former title holders and emerging contenders alike will be hoping to avoid early confrontations against continental heavyweights. Similarly, in the Confederation Cup, where competitive balance has grown in recent seasons, the draw could produce intriguing North-South or West-East showdowns.
Strategic Importance for Clubs
Beyond sporting prestige, progression to the latter stages of CAF competitions carries significant financial incentives, enhanced continental ranking points and increased global visibility. With African club football enjoying expanded broadcast reach and commercial partnerships, success in these tournaments has become both a sporting and economic objective.
Hosting the draws at the Egyptian FA headquarters in Cairo reinforces the city’s status as a nerve centre of African football administration, as clubs await clarity on their next assignments in what promises to be a decisive knockout phase of the 2025/26 campaign.
All eyes will now turn to Cairo as Africa’s road to continental glory becomes clearer.
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Moroccan side RS Berkane delivered a commanding 3–0 victory over Rivers United FC to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Berkane imposed themselves early and broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Youssef Mehri fired into the bottom corner following a swift attacking move.
The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes later as Paul Valère Bassène finished clinically after being played through by Mounir Chouiar, leaving Rivers United with a mountain to climb before halftime.
The contest was effectively settled eight minutes into the second half. Bassène grabbed his second of the night in the 53rd minute, converting from close range after a corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Berkane maintained control for the remainder of the match, limiting Rivers United to speculative efforts and half-chances before comfortably seeing out the encounter.
With the results, Pyramids FC finish top of Group A, while RS Berkane join them in the knockout phase as runners-up, bringing the group stage to a decisive conclusion.
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Reigning CAF Champions League holders Pyramids FC signed off their group-stage campaign in style with a 3–1 victory over Power Dynamos FC on Matchday 6 to secure top spot in Group A.
The Egyptian side made a bright start and went ahead in the 16th minute when Mostafa Ziko rose highest to head home from a corner, underlining their early dominance.
Power Dynamos responded almost immediately. Frederick Mulambia restored parity a minute later, finishing from close range after a well-worked cross to briefly unsettle the hosts.
However, Pyramids regained control midway through the first half. In the 33rd minute, Youssef Obama reacted quickest inside the penalty area to restore the lead, sending the defending champions into the break 2–1 ahead.
The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Ewerton unleashed a superb right-footed strike from outside the box that nestled into the bottom corner, extending the advantage to 3–1.
Despite late substitutions and sporadic pressure from the visitors, Pyramids managed proceedings comfortably to claim all three points and finish the group stage at the summit.
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