CAF Champions League & CAFCC: What to watch for in the qualifying stages

The qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League (CAFCL) and CAF Confederation Cup (CAFCC) are underway with action set to intensity this weekend.

Africa’s top clubs have little margin for error if they want to reach the group stage of the continent’s biggest club competitions while many rising clubs and local heavyweights are eager to make strong claims for larger recognition. Pan-Africa Football identifies some of the themes and matchups to watch in the qualifying stages below:

Can South Africa follow up on last season’s CAFCL and CAFCC success?

The 2024-25 season was the best-ever performance as a nation by South African clubs in continental competition. Mamelodi Sundowns, finalists of last season’s Champions League won the 2016 edition of the CAF Champions League but South Africa’s representatives in continental competition that season saw Kaizer Chiefs eliminated in the preliminary stages while both Bidvest Wits and Ajax Cape Town met the same fate in the Confederation Cup.

Stellenbosch 🇿🇦 are ahead in Cairo!

Lesiba Nku crosses for Sihle Nduli who finishes well and Stellies have a massive edge over Zamalek 🇪🇬!

Zamalek need to score twice now.#TotalEnergiesCAFCC #CAFCC #Stellenbosch #Zamalek #الزمالك#الزمالك_أولًا#أكبر_قلعة_رياضية pic.twitter.com/Kl40Fwj1hC

— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) April 9, 2025

With Sundowns reaching the 2024-25 CAFCL final, Orlando Pirates achieving an impressive semifinal finish in the same competition and Stellenbosch FC’s run to the semifinals of the Confederation Cup, South Africans are as confident and assured about the quality of their domestic football as ever.

Orlando Pirates’ specialty! 🚀#TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/6SYSsOaNnA

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) March 19, 2025

The nation has four clubs involved between the two competitions that have high ambitions with Sundowns and Pirates back in the Champions League while Stellenbosch return to the Confederation Cup alongside a Kaizer Chiefs side eager for redemption after years of struggles. With favorable qualifying draws for all clubs, it would be a massive disappointment if any of South Africa’s representatives fail to reach the group stages.

Will Libyan clubs contend this season?

Last season’s major increase in spending from Libyan clubs in the transfer market caused waves in African football as numerous top sub-Saharan African talents moved alongside prominent players from other North African nations. Continental competition is where clubs like Al Ahli Tripoli, Al Hilal Benghazi, Al Ittihad and Al Akhdar can display their improved level of play.

Libyan Premier League champions Al Ahli Tripoli appear to be the most likely club to announce the improvement of Libyan clubs. Angola national team striker Mabululu cost well over €1 million to arrive from Egyptian football while other African internationals like Rwanda national team captain Djihad Bizimana arrived alongside Algerian forward Ismail Belkacemi as well as other national team players from Tunisia (Ghaylen Chaalali), Sudan (Al-Jezoli Nouh) and Libya (Hamdou Elhouni).

However, both Al Ahli and Al Hilal Benghazi will have to overcome Moroccan clubs in order to qualify for the Champions League group stages. Ahli will likely face CAF Confederation Cup and Moroccan club champions RS Berkane while Hilal are set to face AS FAR Rabat, both duels that could see Libya with zero representatives in the group stage.

The Confederation Cup offers a better opportunity. Al Ittihad Tripoli spent even more money on transfers than rivals Al Ahli last season and the club has the personnel to make a serious challenge. The defense was strong last season following the arrivals of Botswana defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe from Kaizer Chiefs as well as central midfielder Mohamed Zrida from Raja Casablanca.

However, the attack will need to improve which the club addressed by bringing in Togolese forward Yawo Agbagno from ASO Chlef, one of the top scorers in Algeria’s Ligue 1 Professionnelle last season. A potential duel with Egypt’s Al Masry, quarterfinalists last season, likely awaits Ittihad if they can navigate past Ethiopia’s Wolayta Dicha as expected.

Which sub-Saharan African clubs are candidates to impress?

When it comes to clubs outside of North Africa and South Africa, there are several who have been gifted favorable draws while others have difficult tasks ahead.

In the Champions League, North African clubs traditionally dominate in the qualifying stages but there are a couple of excellent opportunities for sub-Saharan African clubs outside of the South African teams. Tanzanian giants Young Africans and Simba SC are heavy favorites to qualify for the group stage as seeded teams, particularly Young Africans who are ambitious and confident after defeating rivals Simba to win Tanzania’s Community Shield this week.

Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou and Malian giants Stade Malien are also in a favorable region to qualify and appear likely to fight it out in the final qualifying round. Stade d’Abidjan of Ivory Coast, participants in the group stage last season, are likely to clash with Angolan champions Petro de Luanda who famously upset Mamelodi Sundowns on their way to the semifinals during the 2021-22 edition.

First-time Congolese champions Aigles du Congo also have a strong possibility of reaching the group stage but will likely have to contend with Mozambique’s Black Bulls while Uganda’s Vipers SC may have an opportunity to upset Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas.

In the Confederation Cup, Ghana’s Asante Kotoko have expressed ambitions to improve their woeful continental form in recent years but the task appears to be too tall for the Porcupine Warriors, who are capable of defeating Nigeria’s Kwara United but must pull off a stunning upset to get past Wydad Casablanca in the final round. A similar situation awaits another hopeful, Senegal’s Génération Foot, who will have to defeat Algerian giants USM Alger even if they advance past Ivorian club AFAD Djékanou.

However, golden opportunities await other clubs like Tanzania’s representatives, Azam FC and Singida Black Stars. Black Stars, a club with plenty of money and continental ambitions, appear poised for an intriguing clash against Libya’s Al Akhdar in the final round of qualifying and displayed their improved organization by capturing the CECAFA Kagame Cup (video below) against regional East African heavyweights like Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman.

Meanwhile, Azam FC are the favorites to progress to the group stage if they can defeat South Sudan’s Al Merreikh Juba and either Djibouti’s AS Port or Zanzibari club KMKM FC.

There will certainly be other intriguing sub-Saharan African clubs that will reach the Confederation Cup group stage. Clubs such as Nigeria’s Abia Warriors, USFA of Burkina Faso and Malian giants Djoliba FC are all in the same region with a precious opportunity.

In another section of the qualifying draw, Southern Africa’s COSAFA region has ZESCO United of Zambia and Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers battling it out with Gabon’s FC 105 Libreville and perhaps the favorites to qualify, Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy. Galaxy pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the modern history of the Champions League when they stunned Simba SC in 2021 (video below).

West African clubs including Ivory Coast’s FC San Pédro, Black Man Warrior of Liberia and Benin’s Coton FC will fancy their chances in another part of the draw that features Cameroon’s Aigle Royal.

North African giants likely to advance despite struggles

For Africa’s historical powerhouses like Cairo giants Al Ahly and Zamalek as well as Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, none of these clubs are in peak form but are unlikely to be shocked in the qualifying stages. Indeed, none of these clubs have fallen in the early stages of the Champions League or Confederation Cup for well over twenty years.

Despite a disastrous start to the season that saw coach Jose Riveiro dismissed, Al Ahly have a bye to the final qualifying round and will be heavy favorites against Aigle Noir of Burundi or Djibouti’s ASAS. Likewise, favorable draws await Champions League winners Pyramids FC and Tunisian giants Esperance while Zamalek also have a bye to the final round in the Confederation Cup.

However, Wydad may need to be cautious despite their bye to the final round of qualifying for the Confederation Cup. Nigeria’s Kwara United and Asante Kotoko will battle to face The Red Castle and if a club like Kotoko can overcome the tension and nerves of playing away in North Africa, there is the possibility of an upset against a Wydad side that is continuing to transition after several years of difficulty.

Entertainment and suspense

Whatever happens in the qualifying stages of Africa’s premier club competitions, there always remains the possibility of surprise results and drama. While the continent’s elite clubs are likely to progress to the group stage, it is certain that one club or a few teams will declare their intent for more recognition through strong performances in the qualifying stages.