CAF Champions League facts for kids
 |
|
| Organising body | CAF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1964 (rebranded in 1997) |
| Region | Africa |
| Number of teams |
|
| Qualifier for |
|
| Related competitions | CAF Confederation Cup |
| Current champions |  Pyramids (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Al Ahly (12 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | List of broadcasters |
The CAF Champions League is the biggest and most important annual football competition for clubs in Africa. It's organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The best teams from the top divisions of African countries compete to be crowned the champions of the continent.
The tournament has a group stage, followed by a knockout stage where teams play two matches (one at home and one away). The winner is decided in a final. Winning the CAF Champions League is a huge achievement.
The champion team gets to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, where they face the best clubs from other continents. They also play against the winner of the CAF Confederation Cup in the CAF Super Cup.
Clubs from Egypt have won the most titles, with 19 victories. Al Ahly from Egypt is the most successful club ever, winning the trophy a record 12 times. The current champions are Pyramids FC, also from Egypt.
History
The Early Years
The competition started in 1964 and was first called the African Cup of Champions Clubs. The very first winners were Oryx Douala from Cameroon. They beat Stade Malien from Mali 2–1 in the final.
At first, the final was just one game. But in 1966, it changed to a two-legged final, meaning one game at each team's home stadium. This led to some exciting comebacks.
A famous rivalry started in 1967 between Asante Kotoko of Ghana and TP Mazembe of the DRC. In their first final, both games were draws. A playoff was scheduled, but Kotoko didn't show up, so Mazembe was given the title. Kotoko got their revenge in 1970 when they beat Mazembe in the final.
During the 1970s, teams from Cameroon and Guinea were very successful. Canon Yaoundé won three titles, and Hafia Conakry also won three times.
A New Name and More Excitement
In 1997, the competition got a major makeover. It was renamed the CAF Champions League, similar to Europe's Champions League. A group stage was added, and for the first time, clubs started earning prize money. The winner received $1 million, which was a lot of money for an African club competition at the time.
In the new format, after some qualifying rounds, the top teams are put into groups. They play each other home and away. The best teams from the groups then move on to the knockout stages (quarter-finals and semi-finals) before reaching the final.
Since the name change, North African clubs have often been the strongest. Al Ahly from Egypt has been especially dominant, winning many titles. However, teams from other regions have also had success. Enyimba from Nigeria won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004. TP Mazembe from the DRC also became champions again in 2009 and 2010.
In recent years, Al Ahly has continued its success, winning their 10th, 11th, and 12th titles between 2021 and 2024.
How Teams Join the Tournament
Who Gets to Qualify?
The CAF Champions League is for the best clubs in Africa. The champions of each country's national league get to enter.
The 12 best football leagues in Africa, based on how their clubs have performed over the last five years, can also send their second-place team (the runner-up). This makes the competition even more exciting with more top teams.
How the Tournament Works
The tournament starts with knockout rounds. Teams play each other over two games, one at home and one away. The winners move on.
After the first few rounds, the 16 remaining teams are split into four groups of four. In the group stage, each team plays every other team in its group twice. The top two teams from each group then advance to the quarter-finals.
From the quarter-finals onwards, it's a knockout format again. Teams play two-legged matches in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The two teams that win their semi-finals then face off in the final to decide who becomes the champion of Africa.
Prizes
The Trophy
The winning team gets to lift the CAF Champions League trophy. The current trophy has been used since 1997. In 2025, a new design was revealed. It is silver with gold details and has a golden ball on top with African designs. The winners also get 40 gold medals, while the runners-up receive 40 silver medals.
Prize Money
When the tournament was rebranded in 1997, CAF started giving prize money to the teams that reached the group stage. The amount of money has increased over the years.
2017–2022 Prize Money
From 2017 to 2022, the prize money was:
| Final position |
Prize money |
|---|---|
| Champions | US$2,500,000 |
| Runners-up | US$1,250,000 |
| Semi-finalists | US$875,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | US$650,000 |
| 3rd in group stage | US$550,000 |
| 4th in group stage | US$550,000 |
Current Prize Money (2023–present)
The prize money was increased again, making the competition even more rewarding for the clubs.
| Final position |
Prize money |
|---|---|
| Champions | US$4,000,000 |
| Runners-up | US$2,000,000 |
| Semi-finalists | US$1,200,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | US$900,000 |
| 3rd in group stage | US$700,000 |
| 4th in group stage | US$700,000 |
| Preliminary Stages | US$50,000 |
Records and Fun Facts
Which Countries Have the Most Wins?
This table shows which nations' clubs have had the most success in the final.
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt |
19 | 10 | 29 |
 Morocco |
7 | 4 | 11 |
 Tunisia |
6 | 8 | 14 |
 DR Congo |
6 | 6 | 12 |
 Algeria |
5 | 2 | 7 |
 Cameroon |
5 | 1 | 6 |
 Ghana |
3 | 8 | 11 |
 Guinea |
3 | 2 | 5 |
 Nigeria |
2 | 5 | 7 |
 South Africa |
2 | 4 | 6 |
 Ivory Coast |
2 | 2 | 4 |
 Congo |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mali |
0 | 2 | 2 |
 Uganda |
0 | 2 | 2 |
 Sudan |
0 | 2 | 2 |
 Togo |
0 | 1 | 1 |
 Zambia |
0 | 1 | 1 |
 Zimbabwe |
0 | 1 | 1 |
Top Goalscorers by Season
Here are some of the players who have scored the most goals in a single season of the tournament.
| Year | Footballer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| African Cup of Champions Clubs era | |||
| 1966 | Salif Keïta |
Stade Malien |
14 |
| 1972 | Godfrey Chitalu |
Kabwe Warriors |
13 |
| 1974 | Paul Moukila |
CARA Brazzaville |
10 |
| 1980 | Jean Manga Onguéné |
Canon Yaoundé |
9 |
| Champions League era | |||
| 2000 | Emmanuel Osei Kuffour |
Accra Hearts of Oak |
10 |
| 2004 | Mamadou Diallo |
USM Alger |
10 |
| 2008 | Stephen Worgu |
Enyimba |
13 |
| 2011 | Edward Sadomba |
Al-Hilal |
14 |
| 2012 | Emmanuel Clottey |
Berekum Chelsea |
12 |
See also
In Spanish: Liga de Campeones de la CAF para niños
- CAF Women's Champions League
- CAF Confederation Cup
- CAF Super Cup
