The battle for continental glory officially gets underway this week, as the Confédération of Africain Football, (CAF), kicks off the much-anticipated CAF Interclub 2024/25 season, with the preliminary rounds of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, and CAF Confederation Cup.
The First Preliminary Round First Leg will take place between August 16 and 18, with the return leg set to be played between August 23 and 25.
The Second Preliminary Round will then follow between September 13 and September 15 for the first legs of the second round, while the return legs to confirm the draw for the Group Stages will be played between September 20 and 22.
Title holders, Al Ahly SC (Egypt), Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) are among the highest-ranked clubs exempted from the first preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, while the 12 highest-ranked clubs in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, including holders, Zamalek SC, are also exempted from the first preliminary round.
While this may still be the early stages of both competitions, fans of the African game will expect quality matches, as clubs across the continent will aim to put forward their best foot in an attempt to qualify for the second round, and ultimately the group stages of the two respective competitions.
Interesting matches to look out for in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League include the reigning Tanzanian champions, the Young Africans, and Vital’O FC of Burundi.
Egypt’s Pyramids FC, who put up an impressive showing last season are up against JKU SC of Zanzibar, while former champions, Orlando Pirates FC will face Disciples FC of Madagascar.
In the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, an interesting tie will see Zambia’s Zesco United face off against Dynamos FC of Zimbabwe in what is perfectly poised to be an action packed encounter.
Morocco’s UTS will play host to RS Abidjan of Cote d’Ivoire, while Nsoatreman FC of Ghana welcomes TP Elect Sport of the Republic of Chad.
Fans are invited to also engage in the live discussions across CAF Digital platforms using #TotalEnergiesCAFCL & #TotalEnergiesCAFCC.
Credit: CAF
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
