The curtain has fallen on the group stage of the 2023/24 CAF Champions League, with six Arab teams bidding farewell to the prestigious African tournament.
Initially, eight Arab clubs participated in the competition: Egypt’s Al Ahly and Pyramids, Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, Tunisia’s Esperance, Sudan’s Al Hilal, Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel, Algeria’s CR Belouizdad, and Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou.
Only two Arab teams managed to advance to the quarter-finals: Egypt’s Al Ahly and Tunisia’s Esperance.
Al Ahly topped Group D with 12 points, remaining undefeated alongside Petro Atletico of Angola in the group stage.
Esperance secured their spot in the last eight by finishing as runners-up in Group C with 11 points.
However, Pyramids and FC Nouadhibou bowed out of the African competition.
Pyramids finished at the bottom of Group A with 5 points, while FC Nouadhibou ended third in Group B with the same points but inferior head-to-head record.
Wydad Casablanca, a notable contender, faced an unexpected exit after finishing third in Group B with 9 points, trailing behind ASEC Mimosas and Simba SC.
Al Hilal and Etoile du Sahel also bid farewell after collecting 5 and 4 points respectively in Group C.
Lastly, CR Belouizdad exited the tournament after finishing third in Group D with 8 points, behind Al Ahly and Young Africans of Tanzania.
