What is the CAF Champions League and How Does it Work?
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What is the CAF Champions League and How Does it Work?

What is the CAF Champions League and How Does it Work?

The CAF Champions League is the top annual club football competition in Africa, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It brings together the strongest club teams from across the continent to compete for the title of African champions.

Winning the CAF Champions League crowns the best club in Africa, and the champions qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup and the CAF Super Cup. This is the African equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, showcasing the continent's biggest clubs, rivalries, and players each season.

Today we will be looking at the way the tournament works, the legends of the competition, the most successful clubs, and what to expect for the 2026 edition of the CAF Champions League

How It Works

Firstly, similarly to Europe, clubs qualify through their domestic leagues. The highest-ranked African football nations are eligible to enter two teams, usually the league champions as well as the runners-up. Lower ranked association only enter one team, this is typically the league champion.

To start, 32 teams enter the preliminary rounds. The preliminary rounds open the competition, each team plays a home and away knockout match, with the winners advancing to the group stage. The group stage consists of 16 teams divided into 4 groups. Each team plays six matches (home and away), and the top two teams in each group advance.

The final 8 teams advance to the knockout stage, taking place in two-legged quarter-finals and semi-finals. Then, two teams play a final match, which has previously consisted of two legs, to determine the winner of the CAF Champions League.

The winners of the competion receive a grand prize of $4 million.

The History Behind It

The CAF Champions League has been won by a total of 26 different clubs. Clubs from Egypt, DR Congo, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Sudan, Mali, and South Africa have all lifted the prestigious trophy since it's formation in 1964.

Egyptian side Al Ahly have won the competition a record 12 times, and 12 other clubs have won it more than once. Furthermore, Al Ahly are the most decorated club in Africa. Accompanying their 12 CAF Champions League trophies are 45 Egyptian Premier League, 39 Egyptian Cups, and 8 CAF Super Cup trophies.

Recently, the best sides in the CAF region were invited to take place in the inaugural reworked FIFA Club World Cup that took place last summer in the USA. Al Ahly, Tunisian side Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Moroccan outlet Wydad AC, and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns all played in the tournament. None of the sides managed to make it past the group stage, but some of the performances on display showed promise. Mamelodi Sundowns went toe-to-toe with German giants Borussia Dortmund and lost narrowly.

The Legends Of The Tournament

Al Ahly's success means that it is no surprise that 3 Egyptian players share the record for the most CAF Champions League titles. Centre-back Ramy Rabia, defensvie-midfielder Hossam Ashour, and centre-back Wael Gomaa all won 6 titles before hanging up their boots.

Tunisian left-back Ali Maâloul has won 4 CAF Champions Leagues, and at 36-years old is still playing. Malian defensive-midfielder Aliou Dieng has impressively won 4 titles at just 28-years old. Percy Tau, former Premier League and South African international has won 3 titles in his career, and was part of the famous Mamelodi Sundowns side that lifted the trophy for the first time in 2016.

The competition's all time top goal scorer is shared between former Al Ahly and Egypt attacking midfielder Mohamed Aboutreika, and former DR Congo striker Trésor Mputu.

The CAF Champions League has long served as a launchpad for some of Africa’s brightest talents, with many young players first showcasing their abilities on the continent’s biggest club stage before earning moves to Europe’s elite leagues. Strong performances against the best teams in Africa often attract the attention of European scouts, turning the competition into a crucial stepping stone in the global football pipeline.

Sadio Mané began his journey in African football with Senegalese club Generation Foot, a side that regularly competes in CAF competitions. His raw pace, dribbling ability, and eye for goal quickly caught the attention of scouts. Fast forward nearly two decades, after winning his second AFCON with Senegal this year, he is now regarded as one of Africa's greats. Born into the CAF setup, but destined for the world stage.

For many African prospects, the CAF Champions League acts as a global scouting platform. Clubs from France, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands regularly monitor the competition, searching for the next breakout talent. As a result, the competition continues to serve not only as Africa’s premier club tournament, but also as one of the most important talent pipelines into European football.

A Global Spotlight

One of the most famous wins of the CAF Champions League came in 2016, when Mamelodi Sundowns won the competition. After a dominant run through the competition, Sundowns defeated Egyptian side Zamalek SC in the final. The Brazilians secured a comfortable victory, becoming only the second South African club to win the competition after Orlando Pirates in 1995. The Sundowns squad featured legends such as Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango, Percy Tau, and Zimbabwean winger Khama Billiat.

Following their continental success, Sundowns’ growing reputation was further highlighted when they faced FC Barcelona in a high-profile friendly in 2018, staged in Johannesburg as part of celebrations marking the centenary of Nelson Mandela. This was the second time the sides collided after playing a friendly against each other in 2007.

The match saw Sundowns take on one of the biggest clubs in world football, featuring global stars such as Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta. Although Barcelona ultimately won the match 3–1, the occasion was a landmark moment for African club football, as Sundowns tested themselves against one of Europe’s elite sides in front of a packed stadium.

Together, their CAF Champions League victory and the showcase clash with Barcelona symbolised the rise of African football, and displayed a club capable of competing on the continental stage while earning recognition across the global football landscape.

What to Expect This Season

Once again, the CAF Champions League is delivering one of the most intense club seasons in African football. With the group stage and knockout rounds underway, the continent’s biggest clubs are battling for continental supremacy, and the race looks wide open.

Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, Espérance Sportive de Tunis, and AS FAR Rabat are all teams that have been gathering momentum in their domestic leagues and look poised to deliver on the continental stage. In African football, nothing is ever straightforward, and that unpredictability is exactly what makes this tournament so special.

Yet one thing is certain, by the time the final arrives, somewhere on the continent a new chapter of African football history will be written.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Arthur Turner

EFL Transfer and News Writer

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