Fixtures

DateRHome vs Away-
03/29 18:00 3 Simba Sports Club vs Al Ahly Cairo View
03/30 13:00 3 TP Mazembe vs Petro Luanda View
03/30 18:00 3 Young Africans vs Mamelodi Sundowns View
03/30 21:00 3 Esperance de Tunis vs ASEC Mimosas View
04/05 13:00 3 Al Ahly Cairo vs Simba Sports Club View
04/05 13:00 3 Mamelodi Sundowns vs Young Africans View
04/05 13:00 3 ASEC Mimosas vs Esperance de Tunis View
04/05 13:00 3 Petro Luanda vs TP Mazembe View

Results

Date R Home vs Away -
03/02 19:00 6 [1] Petro Luanda vs Etoile Sportive Sahel [4] 2-0
03/02 19:00 6 [2] Esperance de Tunis vs Al Hilal Omdurman [3] 1-0
03/02 16:00 6 [2] Simba Sports Club vs Jwaneng Galaxy FC [4] 6-0
03/02 16:00 6 [3] WAC Casablanca vs ASEC Mimosas [1] 1-0
03/02 13:00 6 [4] Pyramids FC vs FC Nouadhibou [3] 2-2
03/02 13:00 6 [2] Mamelodi Sundowns vs TP Mazembe [1] 1-0
03/01 16:00 6 [1] Al Ahly Cairo vs Young Africans FC [2] 1-0
03/01 16:00 6 [3] CR Belouizdad vs Medeama SC [4] 3-0
02/24 19:00 5 [4] Etoile Sportive Sahel vs Esperance de Tunis [3] 0-2
02/24 16:00 5 [3] Young Africans FC vs CR Belouizdad [2] 4-0
02/24 16:00 5 [4] FC Nouadhibou vs Mamelodi Sundowns [1] 0-2
02/24 13:00 5 [3] Jwaneng Galaxy FC vs WAC Casablanca [4] 0-1

Wikipedia - CAF Champions League

The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and contested by top-division African clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout stage, and then a home and away final. It is the most prestigious club competition in African football.

The winner of the tournament earns a berth for the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament contested between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations, and also faces the winner of the CAF Confederation Cup in the following season's CAF Super Cup. Clubs that finish as runners-up their national leagues, having not qualified for the Champions League, are eligible for the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup.

Egyptian clubs have the highest number of victories (17 titles), followed by Morocco with 7. Cameroon, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco have the largest number of winning teams, with three clubs from each having won the title. The competition has been won by 26 clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once. Al Ahly is the most successful club in the competition's history, having won the tournament a record 11 times.

Al Ahly are the current African champions, having beaten Wydad AC 3–2 on aggregate in the 2023 final.

History

1964–1997: Beginnings to competition rise in prominence

Established in 1964 as the African Cup of Champions Clubs, the first team to lift the trophy was Cameroonian team Oryx Douala who beat Stade Malien of Mali 2–1 in a one-off final.

Salif Keïta, runner-up in 1965 and 1966 with Stade Malien and Real Bamako.
Ali Abo Gresha, top scorer of 1969 with the winners Ismaily

There was no tournament held the following year, but the action resumed again two years later in 1966, when the two-legged 'home and away' final was introduced, which saw another Malian team AS Real Bamako take on Stade d'Abidjan of Ivory Coast. Bamako won the home leg 3–1 but it all came apart for them in the away game in Abidjan as the Ivorians went on to win 4–1 to take the title 5–4 on aggregate.

In 1967 when Asante Kotoko of Ghana met TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (or the DRC for short), both matches ended in draws (1–1 and 2–2 respectively). CAF arranged a play-off, but Kotoko failed to appear and the title was handed to Mazembe, who went on to win the title again the following year.

However, the Ghanaians got their revenge in 1970, when Kotoko and Mazembe once again met in the final. Once again, the first game ended 1–1, but against expectation, the Ghanaians ran out 2–1 winners in their away game to lift the title that had eluded them three years earlier.

The 1970s saw a remarkable rise in the fortunes of Cameroonian club football, which created the platform of success enjoyed by Cameroonian football at international level today.

Zamalek SC team, winners of 1984 African Cup of Champions Clubs

Between 1971 and 1980 Cameroonian teams won the cup four times, with Canon Yaoundé taking three titles (1971, 1978 and 1980) and US Douala lifting the cup in 1979. In between the Cameroonian victories the honor was shared with another team enjoying a golden age, Guinean side Hafia Conakry, who won it three times during this period (1972, 1975 and 1977). It is

1997–present: Change of name and rise in reputation

Apart from the introduction of the away goals rule, very little changed in this competition until 1997, when CAF under Issa Hayatou took the bold step to follow the lead established a few years earlier by UEFA by creating a league/group stage in the tournament and changing the name to the CAF Champions League (in line with UEFA's own Champions League). CAF also introduced prize money for participants for the first time with the initial offering of US$1 million to the winners and US$750,000 to the runners-up, making the rebranded competition the richest African club competition at the time.

In the new format, the league champions of the respective CAF member countries go through a series of qualification rounds until a round of 16 stage. The 8 winners are then drawn into two groups of 4 teams each, with each team playing each other on a home and away basis. At the end of the league stage, the top team in each group met in the final, in two-legged games (home and away).

Zamalek SC, winners of the 2002 CAF Champions League

In the 2001 season, the CAF introduced the semi-finals after group stage, then the top two teams in each group met in the semi-finals, with the winners going through to contest the final.

Beginning with the 2009 season, the prize money increased to $1.5 million for the champions and $1 million for the runner-ups. Since the competition rebranded in 1997, teams from North Africa have come to dominate the competition and its records. Morocco's Raja CA won two of the first three editions, but Al Ahly became the most successful team, winning the tournaments in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012, while Zamalek managed to be champions in 2002. Tunisian teams broke into the championship with the title of Étoile du Sahel, which in 2007 was proclaimed champion after being finalist in 2004 and 2005. For its part, Espérance de Tunis achieved its second continental title in 2011 after having lost in the final in the 1999, 2000, 2010 and 2012 editions.

Mohamed Aboutrika, 5-time CAF Champions league winner with Al Ahly

Despite the clear dominance of North African teams, in 2003 and 2004, Nigerian team Enyimba won their first two championship titles. ASEC Mimosas from Ivory Coast and Accra Hearts of Oak from Ghana added two championships for West Africa. In 2010, TP Mazembe from the DRC became the first club to repeat as champions on two occasions, with the first pair of wins arriving in 1967 and 1968, before repeating the feat again in 2009 and 2010. In 2017, the group phase was expanded from 2 groups of 4 teams to 4 groups of 16, with the addition of an extra knock-out round.

The 2020–21 season was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa inline with global football leagues and competitions. Nevertheless, Al Ahly faced bitter rivals Zamalek in an-all Egyptian final (the first time two clubs from the same country compete in any final in CAF competition history), with the former emerging victorious and winning its ninth title. Al Ahly successfully defended their title for a record-extending 10th time the following season by beating Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa, but were unable to secure a 3rd consecutive title in a row and 11th title in 2022 as they were defeated 2–0 by Moroccan club Wydad AC who instead captured their 3rd CAF Champions League title.

With the introduction of the Africa Football League in the 2023–24 season, CAF plans to keep the Champions League, as the new competition will not be its replacement. However, CAF could potentially eliminate the group phase and have the competition exclusively made up of two-legged knockout matchups, as per the original format in 1964 to 1996.

The CAF Champions League is an annual soccer tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It is the most prestigious club competition in African football, showcasing the best teams from across the continent.

The tournament features teams from different African countries, including the winners of domestic leagues and cup competitions. These teams compete in a knockout format, starting with preliminary rounds and progressing through to the group stage and eventually the final.

The CAF Champions League offers a platform for African clubs to showcase their talent, skills, and determination on a continental stage. It attracts passionate fans from all over Africa, who come together to support their favorite teams and players.

The tournament is known for its intense and competitive matches, with teams battling it out for the ultimate prize of being crowned the champions of Africa. The matches are played in various stadiums across the continent, creating a vibrant and electric atmosphere.

The CAF Champions League not only provides thrilling soccer action but also serves as a pathway for African clubs to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, where they can compete against the best clubs from around the world.

With its rich history and tradition, the CAF Champions League has become an integral part of African football, promoting unity, sportsmanship, and excellence. It is a celebration of the beautiful game and a testament to the talent and passion that exists within African soccer.