2021 CAF Champions League final
The 2021 CAF Champions League Final was the final match of the 2020–21 CAF Champions League, the 57th season of Africa's premier club football tournament organised by CAF, and the 25th edition under the current CAF Champions League title. It was played at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco on 17 July 2021.[4]
| Event | 2020–21 CAF Champions League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 17 July 2021 | ||||||
| Venue | Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi)[2] | ||||||
| Weather | Fair 25 °C (77 °F) 57% humidity[3] | ||||||
Al Ahly defeated Kaizer Chiefs 3–0 to win a record-extending 10th CAF Champions League title.[5] They also earned the right to play against Raja Casablanca, the winners of the 2020–21 CAF Confederation Cup, in the 2021–22 CAF Super Cup. Zamalek also qualified for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in United Arab Emirates, entering from the second round.[6][7]
Teams
In the following table, finals until 1996 were in the African Cup of Champions Club era, since 1997 were in the CAF Champions League era.
| Team | Zone | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|
 Kaizer Chiefs |
COSAFA (Southern Africa) | None |
 Al Ahly |
UNAF (North Africa) | 13 (1982, 1983, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020) |
Venue
For the second consecutive year, the final was played as a single match at a pre-selected venue by CAF instead of a two-legged fixtures format, which was being used in the competition since 1966.
On 16 May 2021, Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco was chosen by a CAF Executive Committee to host the final during a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.[4]
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Kaizer Chiefs |
Round | Al Ahly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Qualifying rounds | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 PWD Bamenda |
1–0 | 1–0 (A) | 0–0 (H) | Preliminary round | Bye | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 1º de Agosto |
1–0 | 0–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) | First round |  AS SONIDEP |
5–0 | 1–0 (A) | 4–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Wydad AC |
0–4 (A) | Matchday 1 |  Al Merrikh |
3–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Horoya |
0–0 (H) | Matchday 2 |  Simba |
0–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Petro de Luanda |
2–0 (H) | Matchday 3 |  AS Vita Club |
2–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Petro de Luanda |
0–0 (A) | Matchday 4 | AS Vita Club |
3–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wydad AC |
1–0 (H) | Matchday 5 | Al Merrikh |
2–2 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Horoya |
2–2 (A) | Matchday 6 | Simba |
1–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group C runners-up
Source: Soccerway |
Final standings | Group A runners-up
Source: Soccerway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout stage | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simba |
4–3 | 4–0 (H) | 0–3 (A) | Quarter-finals | Mamelodi Sundowns |
3–1 | 2–0 (H) | 1–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wydad AC |
1–0 | 1–0 (A) | 0–0 (H) | Semi-finals |  Espérance de Tunis |
4–0 | 1–0 (A) | 3–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format
The final was played as a single match at a pre-selected venue, with the winner of semi-final 1 according to the knockout stage draw designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes. If scores were level after full time, extra time would not to be played and the winner would be decided by a penalty shoot-out (Regulations Article III. 28).[8]
Match
Details
| Kaizer Chiefs | 0–3 | Al Ahly |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
          Kaizer Chiefs
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     Al Ahly
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[2]
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Match rules[8]
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Statistics
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Notes
- Each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding substitutions made at half-time.
References
- TotalEnergies CAFCL - TotalEnergies CAFCC [@CAFCLCC] (17 July 2021). "Ahmed Zizo "Zizo" is your TotalEnergies Man of the Match for the 2nd #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final in a row!" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 July 2021 – via Twitter.
- "حكم نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. بوروندي يقود مباراة الأهلي وكايزر تشيفز" [CAF Champions League Final: Burundian referee to take charge of Zamalek's match against Kaizer Chiefs]. El Watan News (in Arabic). 2 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- "Weather History for Casablanca, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco". Weather Underground. The Weather Company. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- "Casablanca to stage CAF Champions League final in July". eNCA. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- "Egypt's Zamalek beat Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 to win record tenth African crown". BBC Sport. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- "Zamalek down Kaizer Chiefs for 10th African Champions League title". ESPN. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- "Zamalek secure 'Al Sab3a' with victory over 10-man Chiefs". Cafonline.com. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- "Team statistics". sofascore.com. SofaScore. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.