CAF Confederation Cup

The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and organized by CAF.[1]

CAF Confederation Cup
Organising bodyCAF
Founded2004 (2004)
RegionAfrica
Number of teams
  • 16 (group stage)
  • 59 (total)
Qualifier forCAF Super Cup
Related competitionsCAF Champions League
Current championsAlgeria USM Alger (1st title)
Most successful club(s)Tunisia Club Sfaxien (3 titles)
Websitecafonline.com/confederation-cup
2023–24 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 the CAF Champions League. The winner of the tournament faces the winner of the aforementioned competition in the following season's CAF Super Cup.

Moroccan clubs have the highest number of victories (7 titles), followed by Tunisia with 5. Morocco have the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs from each having won the title. The competition has been won by 13 clubs, 5 of which have won it more than once. Club Sfaxien is the most successful club in the competition's history, having won the tournament a record 3 times. USM Alger are the current defending champions, having beaten Young Africans in the 2023 final.[2]

History
Winners
CAF Cup / CAF Confederation Cup
SeasonCAF Cup
2004Ghana Hearts of Oak
2005Morocco ASFAR
2006Tunisia Étoile du Sahel
2007Tunisia Club Sfaxien
2008Tunisia Club Sfaxien (2)
2009Mali Stade Malien
2010Morocco FUS de Rabat
2011Morocco MAS Fez
2012Republic of the Congo AC Léopards
2013Tunisia Club Sfaxien (3)
2014Egypt Al Ahly
2015Tunisia Étoile du Sahel (2)
2016Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe
2017Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe (2)
2018Morocco Raja CA
2019Egypt Zamalek SC
2020Morocco RS Berkane
2021Morocco Raja CA (2)
2022Morocco RS Berkane (2)
2023Algeria USM Alger

2004–2017: Beginnings, Tunisian dominance

In 2004, CAF merged the African Cup Winners' Cup created in 1975 with the CAF Cup introduced in 1992 to form a new competition called the Confederation Cup, which has since been considered the second African club competition.

In the first edition, the Ghanaian club Hearts of Oak won the edition by beating another Ghanaian club, Asante Kotoko in the final on Penalties.[3] The following year, Moroccan club AS FAR won the cup against Nigeria's Dolphin FC.[4] In 2006, Tunisian club Étoile du Sahel won the cup against Moroccan AS FAR (thanks to the away goals rule).[5]

The Tunisian club Club Sfaxien won the cup in 2007 by beating the Sudanese Al Merreikh 5 goals to 2 in aggregate score (4-2, 1-0).[6] The following season, Club Sfaxien again won the cup against another Tunisian club, Étoile du Sahel.[7] In 2009, Stade Malien won the edition by beating the Algerian club ES Sétif in the final, on penalties.[8] The following season, the Moroccan club Fath Union Sport won the cup against Tunisian Club Sfaxien, winning the return match 3 to 2.[9]

In 2011, Moroccan club Maghreb Fès defeated Tunisia's Club Africain in the final, on penalties.[10] The following year, Congolese club AC Léopards beat Malian club Djoliba AC in the final.[11] The 2013 edition saw CS Sfaxien win against Congolese TP Mazembe.[12] In 2014, the Egyptian club Al Ahly obtained its first confederation cup by beating the Ivorian club Séwé FC.[13] In 2015, Étoile du Sahel again won the cup by beating South African club Orlando Pirates.[14] TP Mazembe achieved the double in 2016 and 2017, beating Algerian club MO Béjaïa and South African SuperSport United respectively.[15][16]

2018–present: Moroccan dominance

Moroccan club Raja CA won in 2018 against Congolese AS Vita Club.[17] In 2019, Zamalek SC beat Moroccan RS Berkane in the final, on Penalties.[18]

In 2020 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the matches were then played behind closed doors, the Moroccan club RS Berkane beat the Egyptians of Pyramids FC by the score of 1 to 0.[19] Since this season, the final has been played in a single game. In 2021, the Moroccan club Raja CA won the cup for the second time by beating JS Kabylie in the final with a score of 2 to 1.[20]

In 2022, Moroccan club RS Berkane won the cup for the second time, beating South African club Orlando Pirates in the final on penalties.[21] On 3 June 2023, USM Alger became the first Algerian club to win the confederation cup after beating Young Africans in the 2023 final.[22]

Qualification

The competition is composed of domestic cup winners from all 54 CAF member associations and the third-placed-finished club in the domestic leagues of the top twelve-ranked associations discounting/excluding the present year/season.

Format

The competition is played into two phases; the qualification phase and the main phase.[23]

Qualification phase

The competition begins with a preliminary round and then a first qualifying round played in a "trim-down" knock-out format with the away goals rule serving as tiebreakers.

Main phase
  • 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 a round-robin system three points for a win.
  • The group winners and runners-up qualify to a two-legged knock-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

The winners will face the CAF Champions League winners in the CAF Super Cup the following season on the former's home venue.

Sponsorship

In October 2004, MTN contracted 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 giant Orange through 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. (renamed TotalEnergies in 2021) secured an eight-year sponsorship package from CAF to sponsor its competitions, beginning with its flagship competition, the Africa Cup of Nations.[26]

Current Sponsors:

Title SponsorOfficial SponsorsFormer SponsorBall Supplier

Prizes

Trophy and medals
Official trophy

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

CAF increased the prize money to be shared between the top 16 clubs.[36][37]

Final
position		Prize money
WinnerUS$1,250,000
Runner-upUS$625,000
Semi-finalistsUS$450,000
Quarter-finalistsUS$350,000
3rd in group stageUS$275,000
4th in group stageUS$275,000

Note: National Associations receive an additional equivalent share of 5% for each amount awarded to clubs.

2023

CAF increased the prize money to be shared between the top 8 clubs.[38]

Final
position		Prize money
WinnerUS$2,000,000
Runner-upUS$1,000,000
Semi-finalistsUS$750,000
Quarter-finalistsUS$550,000
3rd in group stageUS$400,000
4th in group stageUS$400,000

Broadcast coverage

Below 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
Arab League MENA beIN Sports
 South Africa
[41]
Western Balkans Sport Klub
 United States beIN Sports
Sub-Saharan Africa
East Africa

Records and statistics
Main article: CAF Confederation Cup records and statistics

Performance by clubs
Main article: List of CAF Confederation Cup finals
Performance in the CAF Confederation Cup by club
Club		 Titles Runners-up Seasons won Seasons runners-up
Tunisia Club Sfaxien 3 1 2007, 2008, 2013 2010
Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 2 1 2006, 2015 2008
Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe 2 1 2016, 2017 2013
Morocco RS Berkane 2 1 2020, 2022 2019
Morocco Raja Casablanca 2 0 2018, 2021
Morocco FAR Rabat 1 1 2005 2006
Ghana Hearts of Oak 1 0 2004
Mali Stade Malien 1 0 2009
Morocco FUS Rabat 1 0 2010
Morocco MAS Fez 1 0 2011
Republic of the Congo AC Léopards 1 0 2012
Egypt Al Ahly 1 0 2014
Egypt Zamalek 1 0 2019
Algeria USM Alger 1 0 2023
South Africa Orlando Pirates 0 2 2015, 2022
Ghana Asante Kotoko 0 1 2004
Nigeria Dolphins FC 0 1 2005
Sudan Al-Merrikh 0 1 2007
Algeria ES Sétif 0 1 2009
Tunisia Club Africain 0 1 2011
Mali Djoliba AC 0 1 2012
Ivory Coast Séwé Sport 0 1 2014
Algeria MO Béjaïa 0 1 2016
South Africa SuperSport United 0 1 2017
Democratic Republic of the Congo AS Vita Club 0 1 2018
Egypt Pyramids 0 1 2020
Algeria JS Kabylie 0 1 2021
Tanzania Young Africans 0 1 2023

Performance by nations
Performances in finals by nation
Nation Winners Runners-up Total
 Morocco 7 2 9
 Tunisia 5 3 8
 DR Congo 2 2 4
 Egypt 2 1 3
 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
Federation (Region) Champion(s) Number
UNAF (North Africa) Club Sfaxien (3), Étoile du Sahel (2), Raja CA (2), RS Berkane (2), Al Ahly (1), FAR Rabat (1), FUS Rabat (1), MAS Fez (1), Zamalek (1), USM Alger (1) 15 titles
UNIFFAC (Central Africa) TP Mazembe (2), AC Léopards (1) 3 titles
WAFU (West Africa) Hearts of Oak (1), Stade Malien (1) 2 titles
CECAFA (East Africa) 0 titles
COSAFA (Southern Africa) 0 titles

Top goalscorers
YearFootballerClubGoals
2004Nigeria Ugochukwu Okeke
Zambia Christopher Katongo		Nigeria Enugu Rangers
Zambia Green Buffaloes		5
2005Ghana Eric Gawu
Morocco Khalid El Hirech
Nigeria Kelechi Osunwa		Ghana King Faisal Babes
Tunisia AS Marsa
Nigeria Dolphins FC		7
2006Angola ManuchoAngola Petro Atlético8
2007Democratic Republic of the Congo Trésor MputuDemocratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe11
2008Ghana Eric BekoeGhana Asante Kotoko10
2009Algeria Abdelmalek ZiayaAlgeria ES Sétif15
2010Egypt Ahmed Abdel-GhaniEgypt Haras El Hodood7
2011Democratic Republic of the Congo Salakiaku MatondoDemocratic Republic of the Congo DC Motema Pembe6
2012Republic of the Congo Rudy Ndey
Mali Ismaïla Diarra
Zimbabwe Edward Sadomba		Republic of the Congo AC Léopards
Mali Cercle Olympique de Bamako
Sudan Al-Hilal		5
2013Ivory Coast Vincent Die Foneye
Tanzania Mbwana Samatta
Mozambique Sonito		Egypt ENPPI
Democratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe
Mozambique Liga Muçulmana		6
2014Republic of the Congo Kader Bidimbou
Zimbabwe Kudakwashe Musharu
Ivory Coast Koffi Foba		Republic of the Congo AC Léopards
Zimbabwe How Mine
Ivory Coast ASEC Mimosas		6
2015Algeria Baghdad Bounedjah
Gabon Georges Ambourouet
South Africa Thamsanqa Gabuza		Tunisia Étoile du Sahel
Gabon CF Mounana
South Africa Orlando Pirates		6
2016Zambia Rainford KalabaDemocratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe7
2017Democratic Republic of the Congo Ben MalangoDemocratic Republic of the Congo TP Mazembe6
2018Morocco Mahmoud BenhalibMorocco Raja CA9
2019Sudan Waleed Al-ShoalaSudan Al-Hilal7
2020Morocco Karim El BerkaouiMorocco Hassania Agadir8
2021Democratic Republic of the Congo Ben MalangoMorocco Raja CA6
2022Niger Victorien AdebayorNiger USGN6
2023Democratic Republic of the Congo Fiston Kalala MayeleTanzania Young Africans7

See also

References
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