TheCAF Confederation Cup,known as theTotalEnergiesCAF Confederation Cupfor sponsorship purposes, is an annualassociation footballclubcompetition established in 2004 from a merger of theCAF Cupand theAfrican Cup Winners' Cupand organized byCAF.[1]
 | |
| Organising body | CAF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Region | Africa |
| Number of teams |
|
| Qualifier for | CAF Super Cup |
| Related competitions | CAF Champions League |
| Current champions |  Zamalek(2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  CS Sfaxien(3 titles) |
| Website | cafonline /confederation-cup |
 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup | |
Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. It is the second-tier competition of African club football, ranking below theCAF Champions League.The winner of the tournament faces the winner of the aforementioned competition in the following season'sCAF Super Cup.
Moroccanclubs have the highest number of victories (seven titles), followed by Tunisia with five. Morocco has the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by 13 clubs, five of which have won it more than once.Club Sfaxienis the most successful club in the competition's history, having won the tournament three times.Zamalekare the current defending champions, having beatenRS Berkanein the2024 final.
History
edit| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2004 |  Hearts of Oak
|
| 2005 |  ASFAR
|
| 2006 | Étoile du Sahel
|
| 2007 | CS Sfaxien
|
| 2008 | CS Sfaxien(2)
|
| 2009 |  Stade Malien
|
| 2010 | FUS de Rabat
|
| 2011 | MAS Fez
|
| 2012 |  AC Léopards
|
| 2013 | CS Sfaxien(3)
|
| 2014 | Al Ahly
|
| 2015 | Étoile du Sahel(2)
|
| 2016 |  TP Mazembe
|
| 2017 | TP Mazembe(2)
|
| 2018 | Raja CA
|
| 2019 | Zamalek
|
| 2020 | RS Berkane
|
| 2021 | Raja CA(2)
|
| 2022 | RS Berkane(2)
|
| 2023 |  USM Alger
|
| 2024 | Zamalek(2)
|
2004–2017: Beginnings, Tunisian dominance
editIn 2004, CAF merged theAfrican Cup Winners' Cupcreated in 1975 with theCAF Cupintroduced in 1992 to form a new competition called the Confederation Cup, which has since become the secondary African club competition.
In the first edition, the Ghanaian clubHearts of Oakwon the edition by beating another Ghanaian club,Asante Kotokoin the final onPenalties.[2]The following year, Moroccan clubAS FARwon the cup against Nigeria's Dolphin FC.[3]In 2006, Tunisian clubÉtoile du Sahelwon the cup against Moroccan AS FAR (thanks to the away goals rule).[4]
The Tunisian clubCS Sfaxienwon the cup in 2007 by beating the Sudanese Al Merreikh 5 goals to 2 in aggregate score (4-2, 1-0).[5]The following season,Club Sfaxienagain won the cup against another Tunisian club,Étoile du Sahel.[6]In 2009,Stade Malienwon the edition by beating the Algerian clubES Sétifin the final, on penalties.[7]The following season, the Moroccan clubFath Union Sportwon the cup against TunisianClub Sfaxien,winning the return match 3 to 2.[8]
In 2011, Moroccan clubMaghreb Fèsdefeated Tunisia'sClub Africainin the final, on penalties.[9]The following year, Congolese clubAC Léopardsbeat Malian clubDjoliba ACin the final.[10]The 2013 edition saw CS Sfaxien win against CongoleseTP Mazembe.[11]In 2014, the Egyptian clubAl Ahlyobtained its first confederation cup by beating the Ivorian clubSéwé FC.[12]In 2015,Étoile du Sahelagain won the cup by beating South African clubOrlando Pirates.[13]TP Mazembeachieved the double in 2016 and 2017, beating Algerian clubMO Béjaïaand South AfricanSuperSport Unitedrespectively.[14][15]
2018–present: Moroccan dominance
editMoroccan clubRaja CAwon in 2018 against CongoleseAS Vita Club.[16]In 2019,Zamalek SCbeat MoroccanRS Berkanein thefinal,onPenalties.[17]
In2020in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic,the matches were then played behind closed doors, the Moroccan clubRS Berkanebeat the Egyptians ofPyramids FCby the score of 1 to 0.[18]Since this season, the final has been played in a single game. In2021,the Moroccan club Raja CA won the cup for the second time by beatingJS Kabyliein thefinalwith a score of 2 to 1.[19]
In2022,Moroccan club RS Berkane won the cup for the second time, beating South African clubOrlando Piratesin the final on penalties.[20]On 3 June 2023,USM Algerbecame the firstAlgerianclub to win the confederation cup after beatingYoung Africansin the2023 final.[21]
In2024,Egyptian Giant,Zamalek SCwon the cup for the second time, beating Moroccan clubRS Berkanein the final on away goals rule.[22]This was the second title forZamalek SCafter their win over the same team back in2019,which madeZamalek SCthe second most successful team afterCS Sfaxienwith 3 titles.
Qualification
editThe competition is composed of domestic cup winners from all 54 CAF member associations and the third-placed-finished club in the domestic leagues of thetop twelve-ranked associationsdiscounting/excluding the present year/season.
Format
editThe competition is played into two phases; the qualification phase and the main phase.[23]
Qualification phase
editThe competition begins with a preliminary round and then a first qualifying round played in a "trim-down" knock-out format with theaway goals ruleserving as tiebreakers.
Main phase
edit- The sixteen winning teams from the second qualifying round enter the group stage divided into four groups of four. Each team will play against the other three opponents in around-robinsystemthree points for a win.
- The group winners and runners-up qualify to atwo-leggedknock-out rounds which shall be played in two matches, home and away in three rounds (quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals).
- In case of equality in the number of goals scored during the two matches, the team scoring the greatest number of away goals will be declared winner. If the number of goals scored on the away matches is equal, kicks from the penalty mark will be taken.
The Super Cup
editThe winners will face theCAF Champions Leaguewinners in theCAF Super Cupthe following season on the former's home venue.
Sponsorship
editIn October 2004,MTNcontracted a four-year deal to sponsor CAF's competitions worth US$12.5 million, which at that time was the biggest sponsorship deal in African sporting history.[24]
In 2008, CAF put a value of€100 million for a comprehensive and long-term package of its competitions when it opened tenders for a new sponsor, which was scooped up by French telecommunications giantOrangethrough the signing of an eight-year deal in July the following year, whose terms were not disclosed.[25]
On 21 July 2016, French energy and petroleum giant Total S.A. (renamedTotalEnergiesin 2021) secured an eight-year sponsorship package from CAF tosponsorits competitions, beginning with its flagship competition, theAfrica Cup of Nations.[26]
Current Sponsors:
| Title Sponsor | Official Sponsors | Former Sponsor | Ball Supplier |
|---|---|---|---|
Prizes
editTrophy and medals
edit
Each year, the winning team is presented with the African Champion Clubs' Cup, the current version of which has been awarded since the competition name change in 1997. Forty gold medals are presented to the competition winners and 40 silver medals to the runners-up.
2009–2020
editCAF increased the prize money to be shared between thetop 16 clubs.[36][37]
| Final position |
Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | US$1,250,000 |
| Runner-up | US$625,000 |
| Semi-finalists | US$450,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | US$350,000 |
| 3rd in group stage | US$275,000 |
| 4th in group stage | US$275,000 |
Note: National Associations receive an additional equivalent share of 5% for each amount awarded to clubs.
2023
editCAF increased the prize money to be shared between thetop 8 clubs.[38]
| Final position |
Prize money |
|---|---|
| Winner | US$2,000,000 |
| Runner-up | US$1,000,000 |
| Semi-finalists | US$750,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | US$550,000 |
| 3rd in group stage | US$400,000 |
| 4th in group stage | US$400,000 |
Broadcast coverage
editBelow are the current broadcast rights holders of this competition:[39]
| Country/Region | Channels |
|---|---|
| Algeria
|
EPTV |
 ASEAN
|
beIN Sports |
 Benin
|
ORTB |
 Europe
|
Sportfive |
 France
|
beIN Sports |
 Burkina Faso
|
RTB |
| Latin America | ESPN |
| Ghana
|
|
 MENA
|
beIN Sports |
 South Africa
|
[41] |
| Western Balkans | Sport Klub |
 United States
|
beIN Sports |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
|
| East Africa |
Records and statistics
editList of finals
editPerformance by clubs
editClub
|
Titles | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS Sfaxien
|
3 | 1 | 2007,2008,2013 | 2010 |
| RS Berkane
|
2 | 2 | 2020,2022 | 2019,2024 |
| Étoile du Sahel
|
2 | 1 | 2006,2015 | 2008 |
| TP Mazembe
|
2 | 1 | 2016,2017 | 2013 |
| Zamalek
|
2 | 0 | 2019,2024 | |
| Raja CA
|
2 | 0 | 2018,2021 | |
| FAR Rabat
|
1 | 1 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Hearts of Oak
|
1 | 0 | 2004 | |
| Stade Malien
|
1 | 0 | 2009 | |
| FUS Rabat
|
1 | 0 | 2010 | |
| MAS Fez
|
1 | 0 | 2011 | |
| AC Léopards
|
1 | 0 | 2012 | |
| Al Ahly
|
1 | 0 | 2014 | |
| USM Alger
|
1 | 0 | 2023 | |
| Orlando Pirates
|
0 | 2 | 2015,2022 | |
| Asante Kotoko
|
0 | 1 | 2004 | |
 Dolphins FC
|
0 | 1 | 2005 | |
 Al-Merrikh
|
0 | 1 | 2007 | |
| ES Sétif
|
0 | 1 | 2009 | |
| Club Africain
|
0 | 1 | 2011 | |
| Djoliba AC
|
0 | 1 | 2012 | |
 Séwé Sport
|
0 | 1 | 2014 | |
| MO Béjaïa
|
0 | 1 | 2016 | |
| SuperSport United
|
0 | 1 | 2017 | |
| AS Vita Club
|
0 | 1 | 2018 | |
| Pyramids
|
0 | 1 | 2020 | |
| JS Kabylie
|
0 | 1 | 2021 | |
 Young Africans
|
0 | 1 | 2023 |
Performance by nations
edit| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco
|
7 | 3 | 10 |
| Tunisia
|
5 | 3 | 8 |
| Egypt
|
3 | 1 | 4 |
| DR Congo
|
2 | 2 | 4 |
| Algeria
|
1 | 3 | 4 |
| Ghana
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mali
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Congo
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa
|
0 | 3 | 3 |
| Ivory Coast
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nigeria
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sudan
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tanzania
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
Champions by region
edit| Federation (Region) | Champion(s) | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| UNAF (North Africa) | Club Sfaxien(3),Étoile du Sahel(2),Raja CA(2),RS Berkane(2),Zamalek(2),Al Ahly(1),FAR Rabat(1),FUS Rabat(1),MAS Fez(1),USM Alger(1) | 16 |
| UNIFFAC (Central Africa) | TP Mazembe(2),AC Léopards(1) | 3 |
| WAFU (West Africa) | Hearts of Oak(1),Stade Malien(1) | 2 |
| CECAFA (East Africa) | 0 | |
| COSAFA (Southern Africa) | 0 |
Top goalscorers
edit
See also
edit
References
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