By Victor Kanayo
Organisers on Monday announced that the group stage of the CAF Champions League will kick-off on Tuesday November 26, 2024.
CAF via a statement said, “The Group Stage of the CAF Champions League starts for the 16 remaining teams with match day 1 on 26 November and includes some fascinating ties, not least a Moroccan Derby between Raja Casablanca and FAR Rabat in Group B.
“Many of the most memorable moments in African football have come from the two elite competitions and another great chapter in the story of the game on the continent is set to be written this season.
The Fixtures
Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo make their debut at this stage of the competition and with a tough away trip to Pretoria to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the other match in the pool.
Defending champions, Egyptian giants Al Ahly open their Group C campaign with a home clash against Stade d’Abidjan of Cote d’Ivoire, while Soweto side Orlando Pirates, playing in the pool stages for the first time since the 2018/19 season, are in Algeria at CR Belouizdad.
It will be a two-month sprint for the top two places in each of the four groups to earn a berth in the quarter-finals, with the pool stage to conclude with match day 6 on 17-19 January, 2025.
Record 12-time winners Al Ahly have lifted the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League trophy in four of the previous five years and will be among the favourites again with their experience through the knockout rounds.
The group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup starts on 27 November, as there are some top ties to look forward to.
Holders Zamalek welcome debutants Black Bulls from Mozambique in a tough introduction for the latter, while there is also a North African showdown between CS Sfaxien from Tunisia and Algeria’s CS Constantine.
Morocco’s RS Berkane, the runners-up in 2023/24, start their pool stage campaign against another club making their debut at this stage, Angola’s CD da Lunda Sul.
The quarter-finals in this season’s interclub competitions are scheduled for 28-30 March (first leg) and 4-6 April (second leg), while the semi-finals will be played 18-20 April (first leg) and 25-27 April (second leg).
