2017 CAF Champions League

African club football tournament
2017 CAF Champions League
2017 Total CAF Champions League
Tournament details
Dates10 February – 4 November 2017
Teams55 (from 43 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsMorocco Wydad AC (2nd title)
Runners-upEgypt Al Ahly
Tournament statistics
Matches played138
Goals scored318 (2.3 per match)
Top scorer(s)Tunisia Taha Yassine Khenissi (7 goals)
← 2016
2018 →
International football competition

The 2017 CAF Champions League (officially the 2017 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 53rd edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 21st edition under the current CAF Champions League title.

Starting from this season, the group stage was expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four, and the knockout stage expanded from 4 to 8 teams.[2][3]

Wydad AC defeated Al Ahly in the final to win their second African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League title,[4] and qualified as the CAF representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup, TP Mazembe, in the 2018 CAF Super Cup.[5] Mamelodi Sundowns were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Wydad Casablanca.

Association team allocation

All 56 CAF member associations may enter the CAF Champions League, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to their CAF 5-year ranking eligible to enter two teams in the competition.[5] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.

For the 2017 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2011–2015 CAF 5-year ranking, which calculates points for each entrant association based on their clubs’ performance over those 5 years in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The criteria for points are the following:[6]

CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup
Winners 5 points 4 points
Runners-up 4 points 3 points
Losing semi-finalists 3 points 2 points
3rd place in groups 2 points 1 point
4th place in groups 1 point 1 point

The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:

  • 2015 – 5
  • 2014 – 4
  • 2013 – 3
  • 2012 – 2
  • 2011 – 1

Teams

The following 55 teams from 43 associations entered the competition.

Associations are shown according to their 2011–2015 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.

Association Team Qualifying method
Associations eligible to enter two teams (Ranked 1–12)
Tunisia Tunisia
(1st – 100 pts) 		Étoile du Sahel 2015–16 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 champions
Espérance de Tunis 2015–16 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up
Egypt Egypt
(2nd – 80 pts) 		Al Ahly 2015–16 Egyptian Premier League champions
Zamalek 2015–16 Egyptian Premier League runners-up
Democratic Republic of the Congo DR Congo
(3rd – 69 pts) 		TP Mazembe 2015–16 Linafoot champions
AS Vita Club 2015–16 Linafoot runners-up
Algeria Algeria
(4th – 64 pts) 		USM Alger 2015–16 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 champions
JS Saoura 2015–16 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up
Sudan Sudan
(5th – 51 pts) 		Al-Hilal 2016 Sudan Premier League champions
Al-Merrikh 2016 Sudan Premier League runners-up
South Africa South Africa
(6th – 27 pts) 		Mamelodi Sundowns Title holders (2016 CAF Champions League winners)
2015–16 South African Premier Division champions
Bidvest Wits 2015–16 South African Premier Division runners-up
Republic of the Congo Congo
(T-7th – 24 pts) 		AC Léopards 2016 Congo Ligue 1 champions
Diables Noirs 2016 Congo Ligue 1 runners-up
Morocco Morocco
(T-7th – 24 pts) 		FUS Rabat 2015–16 Botola champions
Wydad AC 2015–16 Botola runners-up
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast
(T-9th – 23 pts) 		AS Tanda 2015–16 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 champions
Séwé Sport 2015–16 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 runners-up
Mali Mali
(T-9th – 23 pts) 		Stade Malien 2016 Malian Première Division champions
AS Real Bamako 2016 Malian Première Division runners-up
Cameroon Cameroon
(11th – 19 pts) 		UMS de Loum 2016 Elite One champions
Coton Sport 2016 Elite One runners-up
Nigeria Nigeria
(12th – 12 pts) 		Enugu Rangers 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League champions
Rivers United 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League runners-up
Associations eligible to enter one team
Angola Angola
(13th – 7 pts) 		1º de Agosto 2016 Girabola champions
Ghana Ghana
(T-14th – 4 pts) 		Wa All Stars 2016 Ghanaian Premier League champions
Libya Libya
(T-14th – 4 pts) 		Al-Ahli Tripoli 2016 Libyan Premier League champions
Zambia Zambia
(T-14th – 4 pts) 		Zanaco 2016 Zambia Super League champions
Ethiopia Ethiopia
(17th – 3 pts) 		Saint George 2015–16 Ethiopian Premier League champions
Botswana Botswana Township Rollers 2015–16 Botswana Premier League champions
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Rail Club du Kadiogo 2015–16 Burkinabé Premier League champions
Burundi Burundi Vital'O 2015–16 Burundi Premier League champions
Comoros Comoros Ngaya Club 2016 Comoros Premier League champions
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Sony Elá Nguema 2015–16 Equatoguinean Primera División champions
Gabon Gabon CF Mounana 2015–16 Gabon Championnat National D1 champions
The Gambia Gambia Gambia Ports Authority 2015–16 GFA League First Division champions
Guinea Guinea Horoya 2015–16 Guinée Championnat National champions
Kenya Kenya Tusker 2016 Kenyan Premier League champions
Lesotho Lesotho Lioli 2015–16 Lesotho Premier League champions
Liberia Liberia Barrack Young Controllers 2016 Liberian First Division League champions
Madagascar Madagascar CNaPS Sport 2016 THB Champions League champions
Mauritius Mauritius AS Port-Louis 2000 2015–16 Mauritian Premier League champions
Mozambique Mozambique Ferroviário Beira 2016 Moçambola champions
Niger Niger AS FAN 2015–16 Niger Premier League champions
Réunion Réunion Saint-Louisienne 2015 Réunion Premier League runners-up[Note REU]
Rwanda Rwanda APR 2015–16 Rwanda National Football League champions
Senegal Senegal US Gorée 2015–16 Senegal Premier League champions
Seychelles Seychelles Côte d'Or 2016 Seychelles First Division champions
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Johansen 2016 Sierra Leonean FA Cup winners[Note SLE]
South Sudan South Sudan Atlabara 2015 South Sudan Football Championship champions[Note SSD]
Eswatini Swaziland Royal Leopards 2015–16 Swazi Premier League champions
Tanzania Tanzania Young Africans 2015–16 Tanzanian Premier League champions
Uganda Uganda KCCA 2015–16 Uganda Super League champions
Zanzibar Zanzibar Zimamoto 2015–16 Zanzibar Premier League champions
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe CAPS United 2016 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League champions
Notes
  1. ^
    Réunion (REU): Réunion were represented by Saint-Louisienne, 2015 Réunion Premier League runners-up, as the 2016 Réunion Premier League was not completed by the end of the year.
  2. ^
    Sierra Leone (SLE): Sierra Leone were represented by Johansen, the 2016 Sierra Leonean FA Cup winners, as the league was not played in 2016.
  3. ^
    South Sudan (SSD): South Sudan were represented by Atlabara, the 2015 South Sudan Football Championship champions, as the league was not played in 2016.
Associations which did not enter a team
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams of the 2017 CAF Champions League.
Red: Preliminary round; Green: First Round;
Brown: Group A; Orange: Group B; Yellow: Group C; Blue: Group D.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[7][8]

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying Preliminary round 21 December 2016
(Cairo, Egypt) 		10–12 February 2017 17–19 February 2017
First round 10–12 March 2017 17–19 March 2017
Group stage Matchday 1 26 April 2017
(Cairo, Egypt) 		12–14 May 2017
Matchday 2 23–24 May 2017
Matchday 3 2–4 June 2017
Matchday 4 20–21 June 2017
Matchday 5 30 June – 2 July 2017
Matchday 6 7–9 July 2017
Knockout stage Quarter-finals 15–17 September 2017 22–24 September 2017
Semi-finals 29 September – 1 October 2017 20–22 October 2017
Final 27–29 October 2017 3–5 November 2017

The calendar was amended from the original one for the following dates:[8]

  • Quarter-finals first leg: moved from 8–10 September to 15–17 September
  • Quarter-finals second leg: moved from 15–17 September to 22–24 September
  • Semi-finals second leg: moved from 13–15 October to 20–22 October

Qualifying rounds

The draw for the preliminary round and first round was held on 21 December 2016 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[9][10]

In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).[5]

Preliminary round

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rail Club du Kadiogo Burkina Faso 3–1 Republic of the Congo Diables Noirs 3–0 0–1
Sony Elá Nguema Equatorial Guinea 1–5 Sudan Al-Merrikh 0–1 1–4
AS Real Bamako Mali 0–4 Nigeria Rivers United 0–0 0–4
AS Tanda Ivory Coast 4–3 Niger AS FAN 3–0 1–3
US Gorée Senegal 1–2 Guinea Horoya 0–0 1–2
Johansen Sierra Leone 1–4 Morocco FUS Rabat 1–1 0–3
Wa All Stars Ghana 1–5 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli 1–3 0–2
KCCA Uganda 2–2 (a) Angola 1º de Agosto 1–0 1–2
CF Mounana Gabon 3–0 Burundi Vital'O 2–0 1–0
Zanaco Zambia 1–0 Rwanda APR 0–0 1–0
Ngaya Club Comoros 2–6 Tanzania Young Africans 1–5 1–1
Barrack Young Controllers Liberia 1–1 (7–6 p) Mali Stade Malien 1–0 0–1
Zimamoto Zanzibar 3–4 Mozambique Ferroviário Beira 2–1 1–3
JS Saoura Algeria 1–1 (a) Nigeria Enugu Rangers 1–1 0–0
Royal Leopards Eswatini 1–4 Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 0–1 1–3
Gambia Ports Authority The Gambia 1–0 Ivory Coast Séwé Sport 1–0 0–0
CNaPS Sport Madagascar 4–4 (a) Botswana Township Rollers 2–1 2–3
Coton Sport Cameroon 7–2 South Sudan Atlabara 2–0 5–2
Saint-Louisienne Réunion 3–4 South Africa Bidvest Wits 2–1 1–3
Lioli Lesotho 1–2 Zimbabwe CAPS United 0–0 1–2
Côte d'Or Seychelles 0–5 Ethiopia Saint George 0–2 0–3
AC Léopards Republic of the Congo 2–2 (a) Cameroon UMS de Loum 1–0 1–2
Tusker Kenya 2–3 Mauritius AS Port-Louis 2000 1–1 1–2

First round

The 16 winners of the first round advanced to the group stage, while the 16 losers of the first round entered the Confederation Cup play-off round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
USM Alger Algeria 2–1 Burkina Faso Rail Club du Kadiogo 2–0 0–1
Rivers United Nigeria 3–4 Sudan Al-Merrikh 3–0 0–4
Étoile du Sahel Tunisia 5–1 Ivory Coast AS Tanda 3–0 2–1
Espérance de Tunis Tunisia 4–3 Guinea Horoya 3–1 1–2
Al-Ahli Tripoli Libya 3–3 (a) Morocco FUS Rabat 2–0 1–3
Mamelodi Sundowns South Africa 3–2 Uganda KCCA 2–1 1–1
Wydad AC Morocco 1–1 (5–4 p) Gabon CF Mounana 1–0 0–1
Young Africans Tanzania 1–1 (a) Zambia Zanaco 1–1 0–0
Ferroviário Beira Mozambique 2–2 (4–1 p) Liberia Barrack Young Controllers 2–0 0–2
Zamalek Egypt 5–3 Nigeria Enugu Rangers 4–1 1–2
Gambia Ports Authority The Gambia 1–3 Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 1–1 0–2
Coton Sport Cameroon 2–1 Madagascar CNaPS Sport 1–0 1–1
Al Ahly Egypt 1–0 South Africa Bidvest Wits 1–0 0–0
TP Mazembe Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–1 (a) Zimbabwe CAPS United 1–1 0–0
AC Léopards Republic of the Congo 0–3 Ethiopia Saint George 0–1 0–2
Al-Hilal Sudan 5–2 Mauritius AS Port-Louis 2000 3–0 2–2

Group stage

In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage.

Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations III. 20 & 21):[5]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  5. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  6. Goal difference in all group matches;
  7. Goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Away goals scored in all group matches;
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ESS CFB MER HIL
1 Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 6 3 3 0 13 4 +9 12 Quarter-finals — 5–0 3–0 (awd.)[a] 1–1
2 Mozambique Ferroviário Beira 6 2 2 2 6 8 −2 8 1–1 — 1–0 0–0
3 Sudan Al-Merrikh 6 2 1 3 6 9 −3 7 1–2 2–1 — 2–1
4 Sudan Al-Hilal 6 0 4 2 4 8 −4 4 1–1 0–3 (awd.)[a] 1–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. ^ a b FIFA suspended the Sudan Football Association on 7 July 2017.[11] As a result, both Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh could not play their final group matches against Ferroviário Beira and Étoile du Sahel respectively, and the matches were awarded as 3–0 wins to their opponents.[12]

Group B

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification USM AHT ZAM CAP
1 Algeria USM Alger 6 3 2 1 12 5 +7 11 Quarter-finals — 3–0 2–0 4–1
2 Libya Al-Ahli Tripoli 6 2 3 1 11 10 +1 9 1–1 — 0–0 4–2
3 Egypt Zamalek 6 1 3 2 6 8 −2 6[a] 1–1 2–2 — 2–0
4 Zimbabwe CAPS United 6 2 0 4 10 16 −6 6[a] 2–1 2–4 3–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Zamalek 2–0 CAPS United, CAPS United 3–1 Zamalek (Zamalek won on away goals).

Group C

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EST MSD STG VIT
1 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 6 3 3 0 11 4 +7 12 Quarter-finals — 0–0 4–0 3–1
2 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 6 2 3 1 6 4 +2 9 1–2 — 0–0 1–1
3 Ethiopia Saint George 6 1 2 3 2 7 −5 5[a] 0–0 0–1 — 1–0
4 Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 6 1 2 3 7 11 −4 5[a] 2–2 1–3 2–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Saint George 1–0 AS Vita Club, AS Vita Club 2–1 Saint George (Saint George won on away goals).

Group D

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WAC AHL ZAN COT
1 Morocco Wydad AC 6 4 0 2 7 3 +4 12 Quarter-finals — 2–0 1–0 2–0
2 Egypt Al Ahly 6 3 2 1 7 3 +4 11[a] 2–0 — 0–0 3–1
3 Zambia Zanaco 6 3 2 1 4 2 +2 11[a] 1–0 0–0 — 2–1
4 Cameroon Coton Sport 6 0 0 6 2 12 −10 0 0–2 0–2 0–1 —
Source: CAF
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head results: Al-Ahly 0–0 Zanaco, Zanaco 0–0 Al-Ahly (tied on head-to-head results, ranked on total goal difference).

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, the eight teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 26 & 27).[5]

Bracket

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
Libya Al Ahli Tripoli 0 0 0
Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 0 2 2
Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 2 2 4
Egypt Al Ahly 1 6 7
Egypt Al Ahly 2 2 4
Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 2 1 3
Egypt Al Ahly 1 0 1
Morocco Wydad AC 1 1 2
Mozambique Ferroviário Beira 1 0 1 (a)
Algeria USM Alger 1 0 1 (a)
Algeria USM Alger 0 1 1
Morocco Wydad AC 0 3 3
South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns 1 0 1 (2)
Morocco Wydad AC 0 1 1 (3)

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group, with the group winners hosting the second leg.[5]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Al Ahli Tripoli Libya 0–2 Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 0–0 0–2
Al Ahly Egypt 4–3 Tunisia Espérance de Tunis 2–2 2–1
Ferroviário Beira Mozambique 1–1 (a) Algeria USM Alger 1–1 0–0
Mamelodi Sundowns South Africa 1–1 (2–3 p) Morocco Wydad AC 1–0 0–1

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, the four quarter-final winners played in two ties, with the order of legs decided by an additional draw held after the group stage draw.[13]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Étoile du Sahel Tunisia 4–7 Egypt Al Ahly 2–1 2–6
USM Alger Algeria 1–3 Morocco Wydad AC 0–0 1–3

Final

In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs decided by an additional draw held after the group stage draw.[14]

Al Ahly Egypt1–1Morocco Wydad AC
Report
Wydad AC Morocco1–0Egypt Al Ahly
Report
Attendance: 65,000

Wydad Casablanca won 2–1 on aggregate.

Top goalscorers

  Team eliminated / inactive for this round.
Rank Player Team MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 QF1 QF2 SF1 SF2  F1   F2  Total
1 Tunisia Taha Yassine Khenissi Tunisia ES Tunis 1 2 2 1 1 7
2 Morocco Achraf Bencharki Morocco Wydad AC 1 1 2 1 5
3 Morocco Walid Azaro Egypt Al Ahly 1 3 4
Algeria Oussama Darfalou Algeria USM Alger 1 2 1
Rwanda Tady Etekiama Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 2 2
6 Brazil Diogo Acosta Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 2 1 3
Nigeria Junior Ajayi Egypt Al Ahly 1 1 1
Zimbabwe Brian Amidu Zimbabwe CAPS United 2 1
Algeria Farouk Chafaï Algeria USM Alger 1 1 1
Zimbabwe Ronald Chitiyo Zimbabwe CAPS United 2 1
Morocco Walid El Karti Morocco Wydad AC 1 1 1
Zimbabwe Ronald Pfumbidzai Zimbabwe CAPS United 1 1 1
Egypt Moamen Zakaria Egypt Al Ahly 1 1 1

Prize money

In 2017, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is as follows: [15]

Final
position		 Money awarded to club National
Association share 5%
Winner US$2,500,000 US$125,000
Runners-up US$1,250,000 US$62,500
Semi-finalists US$800,000 US$40,000
Quarter-finalists US$650,000 US$32,500
3rd in group stage US$550,000 US$27,500
4th in group stage US$550,000 US$27,500

See also

References

  1. ^ "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
  2. ^ "16 Clubs for Group Phase of CC and CL effective 2017". CAF. 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ "New adopted format for Club Competitions". CAF. 30 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Wydad are African champions again after 25 years". CAFOnline.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-08. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
  6. ^ "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  7. ^ "CAF Flash Magazine: Final 2016 Orange Confederation Cup" (PDF). CAF.
  8. ^ a b "Calendar for Interclubs knockout stages amended". CAF. 25 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Interclubs 2017: Draw Result". CAF. 21 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Total CAF Champions League draw result" (PDF). CAF.
  11. ^ "FIFA suspends Sudan Football Association". FIFA.com. 7 July 2017.
  12. ^ "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". CAF. 20 July 2017.
  13. ^ "DRAW Ceremony : Total CAF Champions League 2017 & Total CAF Confederation Cup 2017 - English". YouTube. 26 April 2017.
  14. ^ "DRAW Ceremony : Total CAF Champions League 2017 & Total CAF Confederation Cup 2017 - English". YouTube. 26 April 2017.
  15. ^ "CAF Executive Committee decisions". cafonline.com. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2010-02-12.

External links

  • Total Champions League 2017, CAFonline.com
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