CAF: The CAF Champions League 2023/2024 kicks off this weekend
Africa’s most prestigious club competition, the CAF TotalEnergies Champions League officially kicks off this weekend with the first preliminary round taking place across the continent. The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided that, from now on, teams eliminated from the 2nd preliminary round of the Champions League will no longer advance to the knockout round of the Confederation Cup. This measure will be implemented from next season.
The first preliminary round marks the exciting start of African club football’s most coveted prize, with the second round being the final hurdle before the remaining 16 clubs are drawn for the group stages.
To kick off the competition, Algeria’s CS Constantine host Étoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia, while KMKM SC welcome Ethiopia’s Saint George SC in the two Friday afternoon games.
1995 champions and 2013 finalists Orlando Pirates travel to the Comoros to take on Djabal FC in one of the weekend’s highlights, while another exciting clash pits Namibia’s African Stars against Zambia’s Power Dynamos on Saturday.
On Sunday, Ahli Benghazi take on two-time African champions Enyimba, who will be looking to resume their domination of the continent, while Coton Sport of Benin face Asec Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire, who tasted continental success by winning the 1998 edition of the CAF TotalEnergies Champions League.
As in previous seasons, the CAF TotalEnergies Champions League is expected to continue to grow as worldwide interest in African football continues to grow, as evidenced by the audience and stadium attendance figures for CAF interclub competitions.
Steve K.
