Zamalek’s African Champions League draw revives group-stage fears and final hopes

Zamalek have been handed a difficult African Champions League group featuring Mouloudia Club d’Alger, Club Africain and Young Africans, bringing back an unwanted pattern from the club’s recent continental history.

Since the competition adopted its modern format in 2016, Zamalek have been eliminated in the group stage in every edition in which they faced an Arab opponent in their section.

Their first such exit came in 2017, when they finished third behind USM Alger and Al Ahli Tripoli, with CAPS United also in the group.

The same outcome followed in the 2020-21 season. Zamalek were drawn against Esperance de Tunis, Mouloudia Club d’Alger and Teungueth, but failed to reach the quarter-finals.

In 2021-22, their group contained Wydad AC, Petro Atletico de Luanda and Sagrada Esperanca. Again, Zamalek failed to secure one of the qualifying places.

The club’s most recent group-stage elimination came in the 2022-23 edition, when they were paired with Esperance de Tunis, CR Belouizdad and Al Merrikh.

The presence of Mouloudia Club d’Alger and Club Africain in this season’s group therefore raises the question of whether Zamalek can finally break the pattern.

A contrasting record

There is, however, another side to Zamalek’s record in the modern Champions League era.

In 2016, they progressed from a group containing ES Setif, Mamelodi Sundowns and Enyimba. ES Setif were later expelled from the competition after crowd trouble during their match against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Zamalek continued their campaign following that decision and reached the final, where they lost the title to Mamelodi Sundowns.

That edition remains a significant part of the historical contrast surrounding the club. Zamalek succeeded in advancing from a group after one of their Arab opponents had been removed from the tournament.

Their other group-stage qualification also ended with a place in the final. In 2019-20, Zamalek finished among the qualifiers from a section containing TP Mazembe, Primeiro de Agosto and Zesco United.

They then defeated Esperance de Tunis in the quarter-finals and Raja CA in the semi-finals, before losing 2-1 to Al Ahly in the final.

As a result, both occasions on which Zamalek progressed from the group stage under the modern format ended with an appearance in the final. Their other campaigns during that period stopped at the group stage.

The latest draw gives Zamalek an opportunity to change the first part of that record, while also testing the trend represented by the second. They will face Mouloudia Club d’Alger, Club Africain and Young Africans in a group in which neither qualifying place is likely to be secured easily.

Zamalek must now try to end their run of group-stage exits against Arab opposition and repeat the achievement that has followed every previous qualification: reaching the final.