November 21, (THEWILL) – The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2023/2024 group stages commence this week, marking the return of Africa’s premier club competition. Following a dramatic preliminary round, 16 teams have qualified for the groups and will now battle it out over six matchdays for a place in the knockout phase.
The pick of this weekend’s fixtures sees five-time champions, TP Mazembe, travel to Egypt to face Pyramids on Friday. The Congolese giants are keen to taste continental success again, having last won the title in 2015. On Saturday, Tunisian rivals, ES Tunis and ES Sahel, clash in what promises to be a tense local derby between two teams who know what it takes to lift the trophy.
There is also an eye-catching tie in Cairo as record nine-time winners, Al Ahly, host Ghana’s Medeama. The Egyptian powerhouse, who are looking to retain their crown after winning it in 2022, should prove too strong for the Champions League debutants from West Africa.
In Group B, Tanzanian side, Simba SC, will aim to mark the visit of fabled Ivorian team, ASEC Mimosas, with a positive result to enhance their chances of progression. Perennial South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, fresh from winning the CAF Super Cup, will also fancy their chances of getting off to a winning start at home against Mauritanian outfit, Nouadhibou.
With giants of the African game involved in almost every group, there is plenty of elite-level action to anticipate, as the continent’s showpiece club competition returns. Following the drama of the preliminaries, the scene is set for another absorbing edition of the CAF Champions League.
The groups for this year’s CAF Champions League are:
GROUP A
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Pyramids FC (Egypt)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania)
GROUP B
Wydad AC (Morocco)
Simba SC (Tanzania)
Asec Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire)
Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
GROUP C
Esperance (Tunisia)
Atletico Petroleos (Angola)
Al Hilal (Sudan)
Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
GROUP D
Al Ahly (Egypt)
CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
Young Africans (Tanzania)
Medeama (Ghana)
The full match fixtures include:
Friday, November 24
Pyramids vs TP Mazembe
CR Belouizdad vs Young Africans
Saturday, November 25
Simba AC vs Asec Mimmosas
Atletico Petroleos vs Al-Hilal
ES Tunis vs ES Sahel
Al Ahly vs Medeama
Wydad AC vs Jwaneng Galaxy FC
Sunday, November 26
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou
