CAF Champions League draw: Favorable outcomes for Belaïli and Raja, potentially challenging path for Mazembe
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has conducted the draw for the initial two rounds of the African Champions League, setting the stage for the 2024-2025 season. A total of 59 clubs from 47 countries are competing in this prestigious tournament.
Raja Casablanca and MC Alger, despite being recent champions in Morocco and Algeria respectively, were unseeded in the draw.
Both clubs, led by Patrice Beaumelle and Youcef Belaïli, received relatively manageable matchups.
Raja Casablanca will face AS Garde Nationale from Niger in the first round. Should they advance, they will encounter either Ghana’s FC Samartex or Cameroon’s Victoria United in the second round.
Victoria United has been under scrutiny for alleged match-fixing, with controversial player Nathan Douala in their ranks.
MC Alger’s path begins with a clash against Liberia’s Watanga FC. Progression would see them face either US Monastir of Tunisia or Chad’s AS PSI in the next round.
Double titleholders and record champions Al Ahly are exempted from the first round. They are expected to comfortably handle the second round against either Kenya’s Gor Mahia or Al Merreikh Juba.
Last season’s runners-up, Espérance Tunis, could face a tough challenge from Djibouti’s ambitious AS Arta/Solar7, a team that defeated Zamalek last year and boasts players like Alain Traoré.
TP Mazembe, semi-finalists in the previous edition, will face either Malawi’s Nyasa Big Bullets, whom they eliminated last year, or Zambia’s Red Arrows.
This matchup could rekindle old rivalries and test Mazembe’s consistency.
CR Bélouizdad of Algeria, despite a mixed season punctuated by a recent Algerian Cup win, must navigate a first-round tie against Congo’s AC Léopards.
Should they advance, a second-round clash against Sudan’s El Merreikh awaits them.
AS FAR Rabat, the deposed Moroccan champions, face a challenging draw. After a first-round bye, they are likely to meet Sudan’s El Merreikh, a formidable opponent.
Ivorian champions San Pedro also have a difficult path, potentially encountering Sudan’s Al-Hilal, coached by Florent Ibenge, in the second round.
Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou, who made a surprising run in the last group stage, must overcome Guinea’s Milo FC and potentially either Stade d’Abidjan or Senegal’s Teungueth, the surprise package of the 2021/22 edition, to replicate their previous success.
The competition kicks off with the first-round first legs from August 16 to 18, followed by the return legs from August 23 to 25.
The second-round first legs will take place from September 13 to 15, with the return fixtures scheduled from September 20 to 22.
The 16 winners from the second round will advance to the group stage, where the battle for African club supremacy intensifies.
