CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League final draw holds in Doha
The draw for the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 CAF Champions League will take place in Doha, Qatar on Thursday, where the eight remaining sides will learn their path to the final.
The four group winners will be drawn against the four runners-up, though they cannot meet the team who advanced to the knockout stage from their pool. The draw for the semi-finals will be conducted at the same time.
Here is a look at the eight remaining teams in the competition.
GROUP WINNERS
AL HILAL
Country: Sudan
Coach: Florent Ibengé (DR Congo)
Best finish: Runners-up 1987, 1992
Al Hilal were forced to play their ‘home’ games in Mauritania due to the conflict in their own country, but topped their pool in fine style with 10 points from a possible 18. Their success has been built around a tight defence, bar a blow-out 4-0 loss to TP Mazembe in their final pool game. They have the experienced Congolese coach Florent Ibengé in charge and have advanced from the group stage for the first time since they reached the semi-finals in 2015.
AS FAR
Country: Morocco
Coach: Alexandre Santos (Portugal)
Best finish: Winners 1985
Moroccan side AS FAR went unbeaten through the pool stage with two wins and four draws, topping the group with 10 points. They were one of only two clubs that did not lose a pool stage game. They have recently appointed Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos. The club were champions in 1985 but have not been this far in the competition since a semi-final showing in 1988.
ESPERANCE SPORTIVE DE TUNIS
Country: Tunisia
Coach: Laurențiu Reghecampf (Romania)
Best finish: Winners 1994, 2011, 2018, 2019
Esperance edged Egyptian side Pyramids on head-to-head to top their pool with 13 points from a possible 18. The duo of South African Elias Mokwana and Tunisian Achref Jabri each grabbed three goals in the pool stages and will be dangermen again. Romanian coach Laurențiu Reghecampf has been in charge since November, with the side losing only one of their 19 fixtures in all competitions since his appointment. This past weekend they lifted the Tunisian Super Cup.
ORLANDO PIRATES
Country: South Africa
Coach: Jose Riveiro (Spain)
Best finish: Winners 1995
Orlando Pirates are into the knockout rounds of the CAF Champions League for the first time since they reached the final in 2013. They have been riding a wave of success under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro and their 14 points from a possible 18 in the pool stage was the highest of any team as they went unbeaten. Their 2-1 win at Al Ahly in their final group game will have given them a huge boost in confidence.
GROUP RUNNERS-UP
AL AHLY
Country: Egypt
Coach: Marcel Koller (Switzerland)
Best finish: Winners 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
The record 12-time winners finished runners up to Orlando Pirates but have often stumbled through the pool stages of late, only to turn it on in the knockout rounds and dominate, leading to four titles in the last five years. They have the skill and experience to beat any team, especially over two legs. They are seeking to become the first team ever to lift the trophy three years in a row.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Country: South Africa
Coach: Miguel Cardoso (Portugal)
Best finish: Winners 2016
Mamelodi Sundowns were runners-up to AS FAR in their group and failed to find their usual fluency up front with five goals scored in their six games. But they too have the experience to navigate the knockout rounds having reached this stage in nine of the previous 10 seasons. They were champions in 2016 but have not been past the semi-finals since.
MC ALGER
Country: Algeria
Coach: Khaled Ben Yahia (Tunisia)
Best finish: Winners 1976
MC Alger secured nine points in their pool to finish runners-up to Al Hilal but did so by scoring only four goals. Their campaign has been built on defence, having conceded just two goals, the least of any side in the pool stages. They were champions in 1976 but have not been past the quarter-finals since then. They hired coach Khaled Ben Yahia in December following the exit of Patrice Beaumelle.
PYRAMIDS FC
Country: Egypt
Coach: Krunoslav Jurčić (Croatia)
Best finish: Group Stage 2023-24
Pyramids FC were the joint leading scorers in the group stage with 14 goals as they finished runners-up in their pool to Esperance.
They reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their second year of competing in the CAF Champions League having exited in the group phase in 2023-24. They are led by Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurčić, who has been in his post for a little over a year.
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CAF Champions League
Now a player can feature for two clubs within the same CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup season
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided to amend the regulations of its two flagship club competitions, the Champions League and the Confederation Cup, and extend the deadline for player registration until February 28, 2025.
Clubs now can register a player who participated in one of these CAF competitions for another club, during the same season.
“The amendments to this regulation will contribute to making the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup attractive and appealing to football fans, viewers, sponsors and partners in Africa and around the world,” CAF said in its statement.
Had the change of rules been operational before now, Enyimba would have been able to sign on some players of Enugu Rangers and Remo Stars to prosecute their failed attempt to cross the Confederation Cup group stage hurdle.
These changes are also intended to improve the quality of African football clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup USA-2025.
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Egyptian giants and record winners of the CAF Champions League were stunned on Saturday in Cairo by visiting South Africa’s Orlando Pirates.
The South African won 2-1 to clinch the top spot in the Group C of the Champions League.
Relebohile Mofokeng broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, capitalizing on defensive errors. Al Ahly leveled in the 69th minute through Hussein El Shahat, who brilliantly lobbed Orlando’s keeper.
However, Gilberto’s late strike in the 83rd minute sealed the win for the visitors.
Al Ahly had their chances but were left frustrated following Rami Rabia’s disallowed goal which could have restored parity.
Despite the loss, Al Ahly, led by Marcel Koller, advanced as group runners-up with 10 points, while Orlando topped the group with 14 points.
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Algerian giants Chabab Belouizdad dismantled Stade d’Abidjan 6-0 in their final group fixture.
A clinical display at the July 5th Stadium saw Abdel Rahman Meziane, Mohamed Islam Belkheir, Aymen Mahious, Razki Hamroun, and Marouane Zerrouki find the net in a dominant performance.
Chabab Belouizdad, now with 9 points, narrowly missed out on quarter-final qualification, finishing third in the group. Stade d’Abidjan, winless with just one point, ended their campaign at the bottom of the group.
Earlier in the day, MC Alger secured their place in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League quarter-finals following a goalless draw against Young Africans in Tanzania on Saturday.
The Algerian side needed just a point to join already-qualified Al Hilal in the knockout stages, and their professional display saw them finish second in Group A with nine points.
The stalemate ended Young Africans’ hopes of progression, with the Tanzanian champions finishing third on eight points despite an impressive debut campaign in the group stages.
The result means both North African sides advance from Group A, with TP Mazembe finishing bottom despite their convincing victory over Al Hilal in the other match.
In the group’s other game , TP Mazembe ended their campaign with an emphatic 4-0 victory over group winners Al Hilal in Kinshasa on Saturday.
Despite already being eliminated, the DR Congo giants produced their best performance of this season’s competition with Jean Diouf opening the scoring in the 21st minute before Ibrahima Keita doubled the lead eight minutes later.
Mercy Ngembe added a third just before the hour mark, with Souleymane Chaibou completing the rout in the 89th minute.
The result had no bearing on Al Hilal’s position as Group A winners, having already secured qualification with 10 points from their previous matches.
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