CAF Champions League: Ahly paired with Sundowns again as group stage draw is conducted
Familiar foes will re-unite once again after the group stage draw for the 2022-23 CAF Champions League was conducted on Monday afternoon in Cairo.
Mamelodi Sundowns will face Egyptian giants Al Ahly for the fourth time in five seasons. Sundowns stunned 10-time African champions Ahly in the 2019 quarter-finals, but Ahly turned the tables by winning at the same stage in the following two editions.
Group B will see an almost familiar line up to last season with Sudan’s Al Hilal drawn together once again against the two rivals and will be joined in the group by Cameroon’s Cotonsport.
During the competition last term, they were drawn in Group A where Sundowns finished the group unbeaten, hitting Ahly home and away as they finished second.
Defending champions Wydad Athletic Club have been drawn in Group A and are also re-uniting with a side they face in the group stages last year, Petro de Luanda. They lost to the Angolan giants in Luanda, but had revenge with a massive 5-1 victory in the corresponding tie in Casablanca.
They will be joined in the group by Congolese side AS Vita Club and Algeria’s JS Kabylie, both of who are returning to the group phase after a long spell out.
Group C will meanwhile see an interesting East African battle with Simba SC of Tanzania drawn together with Ugandan debutants Vipers SC. They are joined in the group by Morocco’s Raja Club Athletic and Guinea’s Horoya.
Group D will meanwhile play host to some fascinating North African derbies, with Tunisia’s Esperance, Egypt’s Zamalek and Algeria’s CR Belouizdad all drawn together. Joining them in the group is Sudan’s El Merrikh.
The group phase will kick off in February, just after the conclusion of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria in January.
Full Group Stage Draw
Group A:
Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), JS Kabylie (Algeria), AS Vita Club (DR Congo)
Group B:
Al Ahly (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) Al Hilal (Sudan) Coton Sport (Cameroon)
Group C:
Raja Club Athletic (Morocco), Horoya AC (Guinea) Simba SC (Tanzania) Vipers SC (Uganda)
Group D:
Esperance (Tunisia) Zamalek (Egypt), CR Belouizdad (Algeria) Al Merrikh (Sudan)
The matches will be played according to the following schedule:
Matchday 1: 10-11 February 2023
Matchday 2: 17-18 February 2023
Matchday 3: 24-25 February 2023
Matchday 4: 7 March 2023
Matchday 5: 17-18 March 2023
Matchday 6: 31 March – 1 April 2023
