2023–24 CAF Champions League

The 2023–24 CAF Champions League (officially the 2023–24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] is the 60th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 28th edition under the current CAF Champions League title.

2023–24 CAF Champions League
2023–24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
18 August – 2 October 2023
Competition proper:
24 November – 26 May 2024
Teams54 (from 42 associations)

The winners of the 2023–24 CAF Champions League will automatically qualify for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and earn the right to play against the winners of the 2023–24 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2024 CAF Super Cup.[2]

While there is no official news yet, the qualifying rounds for the Champions League may have been pushed back to August and September and the group stage pushed forward to start in December because of the introduction of CAF's newest competition, the African Football League, which is set to begin on 20 October 2023.

Association team allocation

All 54 CAF member associations may enter the CAF Champions League, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to their CAF 5-year ranking eligible to enter two teams in the competition.[2] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.

For the 2023–24 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2019–2023 CAF 5-year ranking, which calculates points for each entrant association based on their clubs’ performance over those 5 years in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The criteria for points are the following:[3][4][5]

CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup
Winners 6 points 5 points
Runners-up 5 points 4 points
Losing semi-finalists 4 points 3 points
Losing quarter-finalists 3 points 2 points
3rd place in groups 2 points 1 point
4th place in groups 1 point 0.5 point

The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:

  • 2022–23: × 5
  • 2021–22: × 4
  • 2020–21: × 3
  • 2019–20: × 2
  • 2018–19: × 1

Teams

The following 54 teams from 42 associations entered the competition. Teams in:

Associations are shown according to their 2018–2023 CAF 5-year Ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score (in parentheses) indicated.

Associations eligible to enter two teams (Top 12 associations)
Association Rank (Pts) Team Qualifying method
 Morocco 1 (180) ASFAR 2022–23 Botola champions
Wydad AC 2022–23 Botola runners-up
 Egypt 2 (172.5) Al Ahly
Pyramids 2022–23 Egyptian Premier League runners-up
 Algeria 3 (134) CR Belouizdad 2022–23 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 champions
CS Constantine 2022–23 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up
 South Africa 4 (114) Mamelodi Sundowns 2022–23 South African Premier Division champions
Orlando Pirates 2022–23 South African Premier Division runners-up
 Tunisia 5 (101) Étoile du Sahel 2022–23 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 champions
Espérance de Tunis 2022–23 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up
 Tanzania 6 (56.5) Young Africans 2022-23 Tanzanian Premier League champions
Simba 2022-23 Tanzanian Premier League runners-up
 DR Congo 7 (54) TP Mazembe 2022–23 Linafoot (Cancelled) First on FECOFA rankings
AS Vita Club 2022–23 Linafoot (Cancelled) Second on FECOFA rankings
 Angola 8 (41.5) Petro de Luanda 2022–23 Girabola champions
Primeiro de Agosto 2022–23 Girabola runners-up
 Sudan 9 (39) Al Hilal 2022–23 Sudan Premier League champions
Al Merrikh 2022–23 Sudan Premier League runners-up
 Guinea 10 (29) Hafia 2022–23 Guinée Championnat National champions
Horoya 2022–23 Guinée Championnat National runners-up
 Libya 11 (28) Al Ahli Tripoli 2022–23 Libyan Premier League champions
Al Ahly Benghazi 2022–23 Libyan Premier League runners-up
 Nigeria 12 (25) Enyimba 2022–23 Nigeria Professional Football League champions
Remo Stars 2022–23 Nigeria Professional Football League runners-up
Associations eligible to enter one team
Association Rank (Pts) Team Qualifying method
 Ivory Coast 13 (21) ASEC Mimosas 2022–23 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 champions
 Cameroon 14 (16) Coton Sport 2022–23 Elite One champions
 Zambia 15 (15) Power Dynamos 2022–23 Zambian Super League champions
 Congo 16 (9.5) AS Otohô 2023 Congo Premier League champions
 Senegal 17 (9) Génération Foot 2022–23 Senegal Premier League champions
 Mali 18 (7) Real Bamako 2022–23 Malian Première Division champions
 Togo 19 (5) ASKO Kara 2022–23 Togolese Championnat National champions
 Uganda 19 (5) Vipers 2022–23 Uganda Premier League champions
 Botswana 21 (4) Jwaneng Galaxy 2022–23 Botswana Premier League champions
 Burkina Faso 23 (2) AS Douanes Ouagadougou 2022–23 Burkinabé Premier League champions
 Eswatini 23 (2) Green Mamba 2022–23 Eswatini Premier League champions
 Niger 23 (2) AS GNN 2022–23 Niger Premier League champions
 Benin 27 (1) Coton FC 2022–23 Benin Premier League champions
 Ghana 27 (1) Medeama 2022–23 Ghana Premier League champions
 Mauritania 27 (1) FC Nouadhibou 2022–23 Ligue 1 Mauritania champions
 Burundi — Bumamuru 2022–23 Burundi Ligue A champions
 Comoros — Djabal 2023 Comoros Premier League champions
 Djibouti — Djibouti Telecom 2022–23 Djibouti Premier League champions
 Equatorial Guinea — Dragón 2022–23 Equatoguinean Primera División champions
 Ethiopia — Saint George 2022–23 Ethiopian Premier League champions
 Gabon — Centre Sportif de Bendje 2022–23 Gabon Championnat National D1 champions
 Liberia — LISCR 2022–23 Liberian First Division champions
 Malawi — Nyasa Big Bullets 2022 Super League of Malawi champions
 Mozambique — UD Songo 2023 Moçambola champions
 Namibia — African Stars 2022-23 Namibia Premier Football League champions
 Rwanda — APR 2022–23 Rwanda Premier League champions
 Sierra Leone — Bo Rangers 2023 Sierra Leone National Premier League champions
 Somalia — Gaadiidka 2022–23 Somali First Division champions
 South Sudan — Salaam FC Bor 2023 South Sudan Football Championship champions
 Zanzibar — KMKM 2022–23 Zanzibar Premier League champions


Associations which did not enter a team

Schedule
Schedule for 2023–24 CAF Champions League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying rounds First round 25 July 2023 18–20 August 2023 25–27 August 2023
Second round 15–17 September 2023 29 September – 1 October 2023
Group stage Matchday 1 6 October 2023 24–25 November 2023
Matchday 2 1–2 December 2023
Matchday 3 8–9 December 2023
Matchday 4 19 December 2023
Matchday 5 23–24 February 2024
Matchday 6 1–2 March 2024
Knockout stage Quarter-finals March 2024 29–30 March 2024 5–6 April 2024
Semi-finals 19–20 April 2024 26–27 April 2024
Final 19 May 2024 26 May 2024

Qualifying rounds
Main article: 2023–24 CAF Champions League qualifying rounds

The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 25 July 2023, 11:00 GMT (14:00 local time, UTC+3), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[6] In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule was applied, and if still tied, extra time was not played, and the penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).

First round
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Hafia Guinea 2–2 (a) Senegal Génération Foot 0–0 2–2
AS GNN Niger w/o[upper-alpha 1] Burkina Faso AS Douanes Burkina Faso — —
Bo Rangers Sierra Leone 2–1 Liberia LISCR 1–1 1–0
Medeama Ghana 1–1 (3–2 p) Nigeria Remo Stars 1–0 0–1
KMKM Zanzibar 2–5 Ethiopia Saint George 1–2 1–3
APR Rwanda 3–1 Somalia Gaadiidka 1–1 2–0
Centre Sportif de Bendje Gabon 2–6 Burundi Bumamuru 1–1 1–5
African Stars Namibia 2–2 (a) Zambia Power Dynamos 2–1 0–1
UD Songo Mozambique 2–1 Eswatini Green Mamba 1–0 1–1
Dragón Equatorial Guinea 0–3 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets 0–2 0–1
Al Ahly Benghazi Libya 4–3 Nigeria Enyimba 4–3 0–0
Coton FC Benin 0–2 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 0–0 0–2
CS Constantine Algeria 0–3 Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 0–2 0–1
ASKO Kara Togo 0–8 Morocco ASFAR 0–1 0–7
Real Bamako Mali 2–0 Cameroon Coton Sport 0–0 2–0
FC Nouadhibou Mauritania 2–1 Libya Al Ahli Tripoli 2–0 0–1
Primeiro de Agosto Angola 2–1 Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 1–0 1–1
Salaam FC Bor South Sudan w/o[upper-alpha 2] Sudan Al Hilal — —
AS Otohô Republic of the Congo 1–1 (a) Sudan Al Merrikh 1–1 0–0
Djibouti Telecom Djibouti 1–7 Tanzania Young Africans 0–2 1–5
Jwaneng Galaxy Botswana 3–2 Uganda Vipers 2–0 1–2
Djabal Comoros 0–4 South Africa Orlando Pirates 0–1 0–3

Notes:

  1. AS Douanes Burkina Faso won on a walkover after Niger clubs withdrew from 2023–24 CAF interclub competitions due to the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état.[7]
  2. Al Hilal won on a walkover after Salaam FC Bor failed to travel to Morocco.

Second round

The 16 winners of the second round advanced to the group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Hafia Guinea 1–4 Morocco Wydad AC 1–1 0–3
AS Douanes Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 0–1 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 0–1 0–0
Bo Rangers Sierra Leone 2–6 Algeria CR Belouizdad 1–3 1–3
Medeama Ghana 4–3 Guinea Horoya 3–1 1–2
Saint George Ethiopia 0–7 Egypt Al Ahly 0–3 0–4
APR Rwanda 1–6 Egypt Pyramids 0–0 1–6
Bumamuru Burundi 0–6 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 0–4 0–2
Power Dynamos Zambia 3–3 (a) Tanzania Simba 2–2 1–1
UD Songo Mozambique 2–5 Angola Petro de Luanda 1–2 1–3
Nyasa Big Bullets Malawi 0–5 Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 0–1 0–4
Al Ahly Benghazi Libya 1–2 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 0–0 1–2
Étoile du Sahel Tunisia 3–1 Morocco ASFAR 1–0 2–1
Real Bamako Mali 1–4 Mauritania FC Nouadhibou 0–3 1–1
Primeiro de Agosto Angola 1–2 Sudan Al Hilal 0–0 1–2
Al Merrikh Sudan 0–3 Tanzania Young Africans 0–2 0–1
Jwaneng Galaxy Botswana 1–1 (5–4 p) South Africa Orlando Pirates 1–0 0–1

Group stage
Main article: 2023–24 CAF Champions League group stage

The draw for the group stage was held on 6 October 2023, 13:00 GMT (15:00 local time, UTC+2), in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 16 winners of the second round of qualifying rounds were drawn into four groups of four.[8]

The teams were seeded by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown next to every team). Each group contained one team from each of Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4, and each team was allocated to the positions in their group according to their pot.

Pot 1
Team Pts
Egypt Al Ahly 83
Morocco Wydad AC 74
Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 56
South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 51
Pot 2
Team Pts
Algeria CR Belouizdad 36
Egypt Pyramids 35
Tanzania Simba 35
Angola Petro de Luanda 33.5
Pot 3
Team Pts
Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 30.5
Sudan Al Hilal 23
Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 20
Tanzania Young Africans 20
Pot 4
Team Pts
Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 20
Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy 4
Mauritania FC Nouadhibou 1
Ghana Medeama —

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MSD PYR TPM FCN
1 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage — 8–9 Dec 1–2 Mar 24–25 Nov
2 Egypt Pyramids 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Dec — 24–25 Nov 1–2 Mar
3 Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1–2 Dec 23–24 Feb — 19 Dec
4 Mauritania FC Nouadhibou 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23–24 Feb 1–2 Dec 8–9 Dec —
First match(es) will be played: 24 or 25 November 2023. Source: CAF

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WAC SIM ASEC JFC
1 Morocco Wydad AC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage — 8–9 Dec 1–2 Mar 24–25 Nov
2 Tanzania Simba 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Dec — 24–25 Nov 1–2 Mar
3 Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1–2 Dec 23–24 Feb — 19 Dec
4 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23–24 Feb 1–2 Dec 8–9 Dec —
First match(es) will be played: 24 or 25 November 2023. Source: CAF

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EST APL HIL ESS
1 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage — 8–9 Dec 1–2 Mar 24–25 Nov
2 Angola Petro de Luanda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Dec — 24–25 Nov 1–2 Mar
3 Sudan Al Hilal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1–2 Dec 23–24 Feb — 19 Dec
4 Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23–24 Feb 1–2 Dec 8–9 Dec —
First match(es) will be played: 24 or 25 November 2023. Source: CAF

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AHL CRB YNG MED
1 Egypt Al Ahly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage — 8–9 Dec 1–2 Mar 24–25 Nov
2 Algeria CR Belouizdad 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Dec — 24–25 Nov 1–2 Mar
3 Tanzania Young Africans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1–2 Dec 23–24 Feb — 19 Dec
4 Ghana Medeama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23–24 Feb 1–2 Dec 8–9 Dec —
First match(es) will be played: 24 or 25 November 2023. Source: CAF

See also

References
  1. "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
  2. "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
  3. "16 Clubs for Group Phase of CC and CL effective 2017". CAF. 11 May 2016.
  4. "New adopted format for Club Competitions". CAF. 30 May 2016.
  5. "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  6. "TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, Confederation Cup Preliminary Draw on Tuesday". Confederation of African Football. 23 July 2023.
  7. "Désistement de nos représentants en compétitions interclubs Ligue des Champions et Coupe de la Confédération 2023-2024". Nigerien Football Federation (in French). 23 August 2023.
  8. "TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup Group Stage Draw to be conducted on Friday". Confederation of African Football. 6 October 2023.
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