The TotalEnergies African Champions League and Confederation Cup remain the pinnacle of club football on the African continent and a chance for players and coaches to write their names into the history books by lifting the coveted trophies.

CAFonline described their two most famous club football competitions this way: “Many of the most memorable moments in African football have come from the two elite competitions and another great chapter in the story of the game on the continent is set to be written this season.”

The 16-team group stage of the Champions League started on 26 November and includes some fascinating ties, not least a Moroccan derby between Raja Casablanca and FAR Rabat in Group B.
Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo make their debut at this stage of the competition and with a tough away trip to Pretoria to face Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the other match in the pool.

Defending champions Egyptian giants Ahly open their Group C campaign with a home clash against Stade d’Abidjan of Cote d’Ivoire, while Soweto side Orlando Pirates, playing in the pool stages for the first time since the 2018/19 season, are in Algeria at CR Belouizdad.

Pyramids of Egypt are in Group D along with Esperance of Tunisia, Sagrada Esperanca of Angola and Djoliba of Mali.

It will be a two-month sprint for the top two places in each of the four groups to earn a berth in the quarter-finals, with the pool stage to conclude with match day 6 on 17-19 January 2025.

Record 12-time winners Ahly have lifted the Champions League trophy in four of the previous five years and will be among the favourites again with their experience through the knockout rounds.

The group stage of the Confederation Cup started on 27 November and again there are some top ties to look forward to.

Holders Zamalek of Egypt are to welcome debutants Black Bulls from Mozambique in a tough introduction for the latter, while there is also a North African showdown between CS Sfaxien from Tunisia and Algeria’s CS Constantine.

Morocco’s RS Berkane, the runners-up in 2023-24, start their pool stage campaign against another club making their debut at this stage, Angola’s CD da Lunda Sul.

The quarter-finals in this season’s interclub competitions are scheduled for 28-30 March (first leg) and 4-6 April (second leg), while the semi-finals will be played 18-20 April (first leg) and 25-27 April (second leg).

On the other hand, hosts of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco have been drawn in what is widely regarded as the toughest group of the competition: Group A. Morocco will be joined by Africa’s most improved women’s national team Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The draw was conducted earlier this week in Rabat, Morocco, marking a significant milestone in the countdown to next year’s premium women competition. Defending champions South Africa will play Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in Group C.

Nigeria, a side that has dominated African women’s football landscape for over a decade, have been drawn against Botswana who are making their second successive appearance, Tunisia and Algeria.

The tournament is scheduled to be played from 5-26 July 2025 and will feature 12 of Africa’s top national teams competing for continental glory.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 28 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly