CAF Champions League
Egypt cry foul over African Champions League final in Morocco
With a final match of Al Ahly FC of Egypt and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco looming, the Egyptians are complaining about CAF’s decision to take the final match to Morocco and home ground of their likely opponents.
Both Al Ahly and Wydad Casablanca recorded comfortable first leg wins in their respective first leg matches of the semi-finals.
Ahly, the record 10-time African club champions – appear poised to meet Wydad in the final after both sides recorded comfortable wins in the opening legs of their respective semi-finals this weekend.
Ahly hammered ES Setif of Algeria 4-0 at home, while the Moroccan champions grabbed a 3-1 away win against Petro Atletico of Angola, making this weekend’s return legs merely a formality.
CAF’s decision was based on the fact that it was only Morocco that made bid after Senegal withdrew their initial bid.
“A few months ago, four to five countries expressed interest in hosting the final but only two candidates properly came through,” a CAF source told BBC Sport Africa.
“We wanted more countries to bid, because the final is often between those from Morocco and Egypt. So it was fantastic to receive the Senegal bid, but they withdrew.”
Reaction to the decision has seen the hashtag #stopcafcorruption trend online, with insinuations that African football’s ruling body had purposely selected Morocco to boost Wydad’s chances should they reach the final – which CAF has rejected.
Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane even asked ‘What is this all about?’ above a graphic showing the hashtag trending globally on Twitter.
Before the announcement on Monday, Al Ahly had asked CAF to stage the match in a neutral venue given the possibility that Wydad will be there.
Like their coach, many Ahly fans reacted with incredulity at the decision, which came three weeks before the final and just days after Wydad took a 3-1 first-leg lead against Angola’s Petro Atletico.
Even one-time Fifa presidential hopeful Ramon Vega raised objections online.
“How does Caf play two successive Champions League finals in Morocco? No other country in Africa can stage the final? #StopCafCorruption disgrace,” the former Switzerland defender tweeted.
“It does not make any sense,” the Caf official said.
“The fans should ask themselves: ‘how many countries are willing to host the final?’ It costs a significant amount to do so. If it was easy, we’d be discussing candidacies from 10 countries or so.”
BBC Sport Africa understands that when the original deadline for bid submissions passed in February, only Morocco had come forward to bid.
With the North African nation having hosted the final lase expressions of interest from Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa, only Morocco remained when it came to decision time.
With its brand new 50,000-capacity stadium in Diamniadio, Senegal had been considered a serious candidate to win the bid but withdrew last week, possibly over doubts about their chances.
Why the late decision?
African football’s ruling body leaves the decision late in a bid to ensure the final takes place in a region that could attract a decent crowd for the continent’s showpiece club event.
“It is our intention in taking time to announce the final venue to give more opportunity to countries who reach the latter stages of the competition to bid – we need a final in the right region to get people to attend it,” the Caf source explained.
“People in Europe have money to travel to a final and pay the match ticket, but in Africa it is not the same.”
Until 2020, the African Champions League final had always been a two-legged affair, with matches played in both finalists’ home nation.
When announcing the decision on Monday night, Caf stated that talks are “underway within Caf to revert to the old two-legged home and away final to determine the winner of the Champions League, rather than the one-leg final.”
Al Ahly, who recorded a 4-0 win over Algeria’s Entente Setif in the first leg of their last four tie, are chasing an unprecedented third successive African Champions League title.
Wydad have won the tournament twice, while Petro are looking to overturn a 3-1 deficit to reach the final for the first time.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will conduct the quarter-final draws for the 2025/26 editions of its two flagship interclub competitions — the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup — on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo.
The CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final draw is scheduled to begin at 13:00 Cairo time (11:00 GMT), followed by the CAF Champions League quarter-final draw at 14:00 Cairo time (12:00 GMT).
The ceremonies will be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube platform, CAF TV, allowing fans across the continent and beyond to follow proceedings in real time.
Road to the Finals Takes Shape
The draws will determine not only the quarter-final pairings but also the pathway to the finals in both competitions, effectively mapping out the remaining knockout journey for Africa’s elite clubs.
With the group stages concluded, the quarter-finals mark the beginning of direct elimination football — a phase traditionally defined by tactical discipline, squad depth and mental resilience. Clubs will be keenly watching the draw to gauge potential heavyweight clashes or favourable routes to the semi-finals.
In the Champions League, former title holders and emerging contenders alike will be hoping to avoid early confrontations against continental heavyweights. Similarly, in the Confederation Cup, where competitive balance has grown in recent seasons, the draw could produce intriguing North-South or West-East showdowns.
Strategic Importance for Clubs
Beyond sporting prestige, progression to the latter stages of CAF competitions carries significant financial incentives, enhanced continental ranking points and increased global visibility. With African club football enjoying expanded broadcast reach and commercial partnerships, success in these tournaments has become both a sporting and economic objective.
Hosting the draws at the Egyptian FA headquarters in Cairo reinforces the city’s status as a nerve centre of African football administration, as clubs await clarity on their next assignments in what promises to be a decisive knockout phase of the 2025/26 campaign.
All eyes will now turn to Cairo as Africa’s road to continental glory becomes clearer.
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Moroccan side RS Berkane delivered a commanding 3–0 victory over Rivers United FC to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Berkane imposed themselves early and broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Youssef Mehri fired into the bottom corner following a swift attacking move.
The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes later as Paul Valère Bassène finished clinically after being played through by Mounir Chouiar, leaving Rivers United with a mountain to climb before halftime.
The contest was effectively settled eight minutes into the second half. Bassène grabbed his second of the night in the 53rd minute, converting from close range after a corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Berkane maintained control for the remainder of the match, limiting Rivers United to speculative efforts and half-chances before comfortably seeing out the encounter.
With the results, Pyramids FC finish top of Group A, while RS Berkane join them in the knockout phase as runners-up, bringing the group stage to a decisive conclusion.
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Reigning CAF Champions League holders Pyramids FC signed off their group-stage campaign in style with a 3–1 victory over Power Dynamos FC on Matchday 6 to secure top spot in Group A.
The Egyptian side made a bright start and went ahead in the 16th minute when Mostafa Ziko rose highest to head home from a corner, underlining their early dominance.
Power Dynamos responded almost immediately. Frederick Mulambia restored parity a minute later, finishing from close range after a well-worked cross to briefly unsettle the hosts.
However, Pyramids regained control midway through the first half. In the 33rd minute, Youssef Obama reacted quickest inside the penalty area to restore the lead, sending the defending champions into the break 2–1 ahead.
The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Ewerton unleashed a superb right-footed strike from outside the box that nestled into the bottom corner, extending the advantage to 3–1.
Despite late substitutions and sporadic pressure from the visitors, Pyramids managed proceedings comfortably to claim all three points and finish the group stage at the summit.
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