Photo Credit: Al-Hilal SC
The group stage of the 2024-25 CAF Champions League begins on Tuesday with all four groups in action to compete for the top prize in African club football. Group A features an intriguing set of four clubs who each have a long history of success in their countries as well as continental competitions. Read more below on Sudan's Al-Hilal, Congolese giants TP Mazembe, Tanzanian champions Young Africans and Algeria's MC Alger below.
TP Mazembe (COD)
Background
Tout Puissant Mazembe, founded in 1939 as FC Saint-Georges in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, was created by the Benedictine missionaries of the Saint-Boniface Institute to form a scout team. After several name changes, the club became F.C. Englebert before adopting the title Tout Puissant Mazembe, in homage to its main sponsor.
The club experienced its first major victory in 1966, winning a historic treble: the National Championship, the Katanga Cup and the Congo Cup. This victory marked the beginning of its local and continental domination.
Mazembe is one of the most successful clubs in Africa with an impressive track record including 20 Congolese top division titles, including the most recent in 2021-2022 and 2023-2024. The club has also triumphed three times in the Congo Super Cup (2013, 2014, 2016), five times in the Coupe du Congo (1966, 1967, 1976, 1979, 2000) and made history by twice winning the Cup of African Champion Clubs (1967, 1968). Continentally, Mazembe has won the CAF Champions League three times (2009, 2010, 2015) and the CAF Confederation Cup twice (2016, 2017), cementing its giant status in African football.
How did they qualify?
TP Mazembe qualified by winning the 2023-24 Linafoot, the top division of football in DR Congo.
Qualifying stages
First Round: Bye
Second Round: Defeated Red Arrows (ZAM) 4-1 on aggregate
Coach: Lamine Ndiaye
The current coach of Mazembe, Lamine Ndiaye, was born October 18, 1956 in Thiès (Senegal) and has led the club since 2010. A former player and coach of clubs such as FC Mulhouse in France and Cameroonian giants Coton Sport Garoua as well as the national team of Senegal, Ndiaye was a pillar of Mazembe's success. Under his leadership, the club won several major titles including the CAF Champions League in 2010 and the CAF Super Cup in 2011 in addition to three consecutive Congolese Linafoot titles between 2010 and 2012 without forgetting the most recent during of the 2023-2024 season. His ability to structure the team and lead it to new heights makes him a key force in the club's continued success.
Important Player: Magloire Ntambwe
Photo Credit: TP Mazembe
A powerfully built central defender, the 26-year-old has drawn the attention of the DR Congo national team with his play for Mazembe. Ntambwe was particularly outstanding in the semifinals of the Champions League last season by dominating aerial duels in a 0-0 draw against eventual champions Al Ahly in the first leg. The Mazembe attack is not currently performing well so experienced defenders like Ntambwe and Ernest Luzolo will need to perform at their highest level.
Author: Hilary Christelle Tolo Kpadonou
Young Africans (TZA)
Background
Nicknamed ‘Timu ya Wananchi’, Young Africans (Yanga SC) have won 30 Tanzanian Premier League titles, a number of domestic cups and have participated in multiple CAF Champions League editions. They have won East Africa's CECAFA Club Championship five times.
The club was ranked among the top ten clubs in Africa, at number 80, by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in their 1 September 2022 – 30 August 2023 rankings. Globally, the club was ranked at number 104 in the IFFHS World Ranking.
In 2023, Yanga made history when they became the first Tanzanian club to reach a CAF Confederation Cup final after defeating Marumo Gallants 4-1 on aggregate. They faced USM Alger from Algeria in the finals which they lost 2-2 on aggregate due to the away goal rule. After winning the Tanzania Premier League for a third consecutive time in the 2023-24 season, Yanga achieved a historical milestone of winning the country's Premier League title for the 30th time.
How did they qualify?
Young Africans qualified for the Champions League by winning the 2023-24 Tanzanian Premier League.
Qualifying stages
First Round: Defeated Vital'O (BDI) 10-0 on aggregate
Second Round: Defeated Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (ETH) 7-0 on aggregate
Coach: Sead Ramović
Photo Credit: Young Africans Sports Club
Yanga will start the group stage under new coach Sead Ramović, who was appointed to replace Miguel Gamondi in the last week. Born in Stuttgart, West Germany, Ramović started his career with FC Feuerbach and is not new to African football having coached South African Premiership outfit TS Galaxy from 2021-2024 before signing for Yanga. A goalkeeper in his playing days, the 45-year-old is still early in his coaching days but excellent results with Galaxy provided him the opportunity to coach one of sub-Saharan Africa's biggest clubs.
Important Player: Stephane Aziz Ki
Stephane Aziz Ki, born in Ivory Coast and a member of the Burkina Faso national team, is among the key players for Yanga. The 28-year-old forward played a huge role for Yanga last campaign by helping them to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League where they lost to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa. Aziz Ki won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the 2023/2024 season of the Mainland Tanzania Premier League. He also won the Golden Boot award for top scorer with 21 goals.
Author: Dennis Kegengo
MC Alger (ALG)
Background
One of three major clubs in Algerian football from the capital Algiers, MCA have 20 domestic trophies including 8 Ligue 1 championships and 12 domestic cup titles. Founded in 1926 against the backdrop of French colonialism, MCA has the strongest claim to being the most popular club in Algeria and is nicknamed "The People's Club" due to its high popularity. Also known as "The Dean (Le Doyen)," MCA became the first Algerian club to win the Champions League in 1976 when the competition was known as the African Cup of Champions Clubs.
How did they qualify?
MCA qualified for this season's Champions League by virtue of winning the Algeria Ligue 1 title last season, ending a four-year spell of dominance by Algiers rival CR Belouizdad.
Qualifying stages
1st Round: Defeated Watanga FC (LBR) 4-0 on aggregate
2nd Round: Defeated US Monastir (TUN) 2-1 on aggregate
Coach: Patrice Beaumelle
Photo Credit: Mouloudia Club d'Alger
The Frenchman was an assistant of famous countryman Hervé Renard when he led Zambia to their surprise victory at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Before their time with Zambia, Beaumelle also assisted Renard at MCA's fierce rivals USM Alger and found immediate success upon returning to Algeria to be the head coach at MCA by winning the 2023-24 Algeria Ligue 1 title. Outside of a brief spell assisting Renard at French club LOSC Lille in 2015, the 46-year-old continues to be involved in African football and even announced his conversion to Islam earlier this year taking the name Amir to widespread acclaim from MCA supporters.
Important Player: Andy Delort
Photo Credit: Mouloudia Club d'Alger
Youcef Belaïli returned to Algerian football for the 2023-24 season and fulfilled high expectations by becoming the top scorer in Ligue 1 while with MCA. Now that Belaïli has left for Espérance ST of Tunisia, Delort continues the rising trend of Algeria national team players who have decided to play in the country's domestic league. Unlike Belaïli, Delort was born in France and spent his entire club career outside Algeria before the 33-year-old embraced the opportunity to play in the country of his mother. A powerful striker, Delort joined with high expectations and producing goals in the Champions League will go some way to make up for an inconsistent beginning to life in Algerian club football with 3 goals in 8 matches so far.
Al-Hilal Omdurman (SDN)
Background
Al-Hilal is a club based in Omdurman, Sudan. It is one of the two biggest football clubs in Sudan whose establishment dates back to 1930. The Blue Wave as they are nicknamed managed to record 29 Sudanese league titles in their history. The name Al-Hilal means Crescent Moon in Arabic. The club has also won eight Sudanese Cups. Al Hilal is a two-time CAF Champions League finalist with their most recent final appearance being in 1992. With a huge financial backing from wealthy Sudanese owners the club built a strong foundation to compete in the continental stage.
The club is also known for signing high quality players from all throughout Africa, most notably from the West Africa region making Hilal a Pan-African club in many ways. This season, Al-Hilal are playing in the top division of Mauritania due to the ongoing war in Sudan along with main rivals Al-Merrikh.
Coach: Florent Ibengé
Photo Credit: Al-Hilal SC
The Congolese born tactician is regarded as one of the finest coaches to ever come from Africa. The former center back turned coach is well known for leading DR Congo's AS Vita Club to the final of the 2014 CAF Champions League where they finished as runner-up. He repeated the feet in with VClub in the 2018 Confederation Cup as well. Ibengé won the CAF Confederation Cup in the 2021/22 season with Moroccan outfit RS Berkane.
He managed the DR Congo national side for five years between 2014 and 2019 where his charges finished third in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and won the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN). Ibengé is also a three-time winner of DR Congo's top division Linafoot from his time with Kinshasa-based VClub. Ibengé is much loved in Sudan after staying put amidst the civil war to prepare the club for international competition. He prepared a base camp in Cairo, Egypt and later on had preseason preparations in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia before the club began playing in Mauritania's Ligue 1.
Important Player: Mohamed Abdelrahman
Photo Credit: Al-Hilal SC
The 31-year-old striker is well known for his goal scoring prowess. Abdelrahman has served as the captain of Al-Hilal and has the pace to challenge any defender in Africa. His scoring ability was also flaunted in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition. He scored a crucial goal against Ghana where he helped war torn Sudan to qualify for the AFCON at the expense of the Black Stars.
Abdelrahman has already bagged three goals in this Champions League campaign and had a successful CECAFA Club Cup by scoring five goals as Hilal finished third. He is expected to form a good striking partnership with Malian teenager Adama Coulibaly. Fans will expect the veteran striker to continue on his good form that saw him bag goals regularly while Hilal compete in the Mauritanian top division this season. Al Hilal and Abdelrahman are unbeaten in 12 games across all competitions.
Author: Omna Taddele
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