2017 CAF Champions League
| 2017 Total CAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 10 February – 4 November 2017 |
| Teams | 55 (from 43 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Wydad Casablanca (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Al-Ahly |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 138 |
| Goals scored | 318 (2.3 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Taha Yassine Khenissi (7 goals) |
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 Casablanca defeated Al-Ahly in the final to win their second African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League title, 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 in the 2018 CAF Super Cup.[4] 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.[4] 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:[5]
| 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.
- Teams in bold received a bye to the first round.
- The other teams entered the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2011–2015 CAF 5-Year Ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.
- Notes
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sierra Leone (SLE): Sierra Leone were represented by Johansen, the winners, as the league was not played in 2016.
- ^ 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
Stade Malien Real BamakoGauteng teams Bidvest Wits Mamelodi SundownsGreater Cairo teams Al-Ahly ZamalekOmdurman teams
Al-Hilal Al-Merrikh 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).[6][7]
| 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:[7]
- 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.[8][9]
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).[4]
Preliminary round[]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rail Club du Kadiogo 
|
3–1 |  Diables Noirs
|
3–0 | 0–1 |
Sony Elá Nguema 
|
1–5 |  Al-Merrikh
|
0–1 | 1–4 |
AS Real Bamako 
|
0–4 |  Rivers United
|
0–0 | 0–4 |
AS Tanda 
|
4–3 |  AS FAN
|
3–0 | 1–3 |
US Gorée 
|
1–2 |  Horoya
|
0–0 | 1–2 |
Johansen 
|
1–4 | FUS Rabat
|
1–1 | 0–3 |
Wa All Stars 
|
1–5 |  Al-Ahli Tripoli
|
1–3 | 0–2 |
KCCA 
|
2–2 (a) |  1º de Agosto
|
1–0 | 1–2 |
CF Mounana 
|
3–0 |  Vital'O
|
2–0 | 1–0 |
Zanaco 
|
1–0 |  APR
|
0–0 | 1–0 |
Ngaya Club 
|
2–6 |  Young Africans
|
1–5 | 1–1 |
Barrack Young Controllers 
|
1–1 (7–6 p) | Stade Malien
|
1–0 | 0–1 |
Zimamoto 
|
3–4 |  Ferroviário Beira
|
2–1 | 1–3 |
JS Saoura 
|
1–1 (a) | Enugu Rangers
|
1–1 | 0–0 |
Royal Leopards 
|
1–4 |  AS Vita Club
|
0–1 | 1–3 |
Gambia Ports Authority 
|
1–0 | Séwé Sport
|
1–0 | 0–0 |
CNaPS Sport 
|
4–4 (a) |  Township Rollers
|
2–1 | 2–3 |
Coton Sport 
|
7–2 |  Atlabara
|
2–0 | 5–2 |
Saint-Louisienne 
|
3–4 |  Bidvest Wits
|
2–1 | 1–3 |
Lioli 
|
1–2 |  CAPS United
|
0–0 | 1–2 |
Côte d'Or 
|
0–5 |  Saint George
|
0–2 | 0–3 |
| AC Léopards
|
2–2 (a) | UMS de Loum
|
1–0 | 1–2 |
Tusker 
|
2–3 |  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. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USM Alger
|
2–1 | Rail Club du Kadiogo
|
2–0 | 0–1 |
| Rivers United
|
3–4 | Al-Merrikh
|
3–0 | 0–4 |
| Étoile du Sahel
|
5–1 | AS Tanda
|
3–0 | 2–1 |
| Espérance de Tunis
|
4–3 | Horoya
|
3–1 | 1–2 |
| Al-Ahli Tripoli
|
3–3 (a) | FUS Rabat
|
2–0 | 1–3 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns
|
3–2 | KCCA
|
2–1 | 1–1 |
| Wydad Casablanca
|
1–1 (5–4 p) | CF Mounana
|
1–0 | 0–1 |
| Young Africans
|
1–1 (a) | Zanaco
|
1–1 | 0–0 |
| Ferroviário Beira
|
2–2 (4–1 p) | Barrack Young Controllers
|
2–0 | 0–2 |
| Zamalek
|
5–3 | Enugu Rangers
|
4–1 | 1–2 |
| Gambia Ports Authority
|
1–3 | AS Vita Club
|
1–1 | 0–2 |
| Coton Sport
|
2–1 | CNaPS Sport
|
1–0 | 1–1 |
| Al-Ahly
|
1–0 | Bidvest Wits
|
1–0 | 0–0 |
| TP Mazembe
|
1–1 (a) | CAPS United
|
1–1 | 0–0 |
| AC Léopards
|
0–3 | Saint George
|
0–1 | 0–2 |
| Al-Hilal
|
5–2 | AS Port-Louis 2000
|
3–0 | 2–2 |
Group stage[]
The draw for the group stage was held on 26 April 2017, 14:00 EET (UTC+2), at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[10][11][12] The 16 teams, all winners of the first round of qualifying, were drawn into four groups of four. The teams were seeded by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-Year Ranking points shown in parentheses).[13]
| Pot | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |
|
|
|
|
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):[4]
|
Group A[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ESS | CFB | MER | HIL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Étoile du Sahel
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 12 | Quarter-finals | — | 5–0 | 3–0 (awd.)[a] | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Ferroviário Beira
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 8 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 3 | Al-Merrikh
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 7 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Al-Hilal
|
6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 4 | 1–1 | 0–3 (awd.)[a] | 1–1 | — |
Notes:
- ^ a b FIFA suspended the Sudan Football Association on 7 July 2017.[14] 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.[15]
Group B[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | USM | AHT | ZAM | CAP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USM Alger
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 11 | Quarter-finals | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Al-Ahli Tripoli
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 9 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 4–2 | ||
| 3 | Zamalek
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 6[a] | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | CAPS United
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 16 | −6 | 6[a] | 2–1 | 2–4 | 3–1 | — |
Notes:
Group C[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EST | MSD | STG | VIT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espérance de Tunis
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 12 | Quarter-finals | — | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Mamelodi Sundowns
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Saint George
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 5[a] | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | AS Vita Club
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5[a] | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | — |
Notes:
Group D[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WAC | AHL | ZAN | COT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wydad Casablanca
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 12 | Quarter-finals | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Al-Ahly
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 11[a] | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Zanaco
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 11[a] | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Coton Sport
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — |
Notes:
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).[4]
Bracket[]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahli Tripoli
|
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Étoile du Sahel
|
0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Étoile du Sahel
|
2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahly
|
1 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahly
|
2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Espérance de Tunis
|
2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Al-Ahly
|
1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad Casablanca
|
1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Ferroviário Beira
|
1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| USM Alger
|
1 | 0 | 1 (a) | ||||||||||||||
| USM Alger
|
0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad Casablanca
|
0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Mamelodi Sundowns
|
1 | 0 | 1 (2 p) | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad Casablanca
|
0 | 1 | 1 (3 p) | ||||||||||||||
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.[4]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli Tripoli
|
0–2 | Étoile du Sahel
|
0–0 | 0–2 |
| Al-Ahly
|
4–3 | Espérance de Tunis
|
2–2 | 2–1 |
| Ferroviário Beira
|
1–1 (a) | USM Alger
|
1–1 | 0–0 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns
|
1–1 (2–3 p) | Wydad Casablanca
|
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.[11]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Étoile du Sahel
|
4–7 | Al-Ahly
|
2–1 | 2–6 |
| USM Alger
|
1–3 | Wydad Casablanca
|
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.[11]
Wydad Casablanca won 2–1 on aggregate.
Top goalscorers[]
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taha Yassine Khenissi
|
Espérance de Tunis
|
1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||
| 2 | Achraf Bencharki
|
Wydad Athletic Club
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| 3 | Walid Azaro
|
Al-Ahly
|
1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Oussama Darfalou
|
USM Alger
|
1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Tady Etekiama
|
AS Vita Club
|
2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 |  Diogo Acosta
|
Étoile du Sahel
|
2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Junior Ajayi
|
Al-Ahly
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Brian Amidu
|
CAPS United
|
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Farouk Chafaï
|
USM Alger
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Ronald Chitiyo
|
CAPS United
|
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Walid El Karti
|
Wydad Athletic Club
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Ronald Pfumbidzai
|
CAPS United
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Moamen Zakaria
|
Al-Ahly
|
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Prize money[]
In 2017, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is as follows: [16]
| 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[]
- 2017 CAF Confederation Cup
- 2017 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2018 CAF Super Cup
References[]
- ^ "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
- ^ "16 Clubs for Group Phase of CC and CL effective 2017". CAF. 11 May 2016.
- ^ "New adopted format for Club Competitions". CAF. 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ "CAF Flash Magazine: Final 2016 Orange Confederation Cup" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ a b "Calendar for Interclubs knockout stages amended". CAF. 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Interclubs 2017: Draw Result". CAF. 21 December 2016.
- ^ "Total CAF Champions League draw result" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ "Accreditation for Interclubs Group Phase Draw". CAF. 23 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "DRAW Ceremony : Total CAF Champions League 2017 & Total CAF Confederation Cup 2017 - English". YouTube. 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Draw results for CL group phase". CAF. 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Draw procedure for CL group phase". CAF. 26 April 2017.
- ^ "FIFA suspends Sudan Football Association". FIFA.com. 7 July 2017.
- ^ "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". CAF. 20 July 2017.
- ^ "CAF Executive Committee decisions". cafonline.com. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
External links[]
- Total Champions League 2017, CAFonline.com
- 2017 CAF Champions League
- CAF Champions League seasons
- 2017 in African football