CAF Champions League: Pyramids Dethroned by FAR Rabat, Espérance eliminate Ahly
Saturday’s CAF Interclub action was headlined by Pyramids FC being dethroned as kings of the Champions League, while perennial winners Al Ahly were also eliminated, and CR Belouizdad advanced in the Confederation Cup.
Pyramids won their first Champions League title last season, but they were sent packing from the 2025-26 edition of the competition in the quarterfinals by Moroccan Armed Forces team ASFAR, who claimed a 2-1 (3-2 on aggregate) triumph at the 30 Stadium in Cairo.
The visitors stunned the home crowd by establishing a 2-0 lead inside the opening hour, with goals from Reda Slim and Mohamed Rabie Hrimat.
Fiston Mayele gave the Egyptian side hope of a recovery, but ultimately ASFAR hung on to seal a semifinal berth.
Also in Cairo, 12-time CAFCL winners Al Ahly will have to wait until at least next year to add to their record haul of continental titles, after they succumbed 3-2 (4-2 on aggregate) to Esperance de Tunis.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Tunis, the Red Castle levelled the tie just 10 minutes in via Mahmoud Trezeguet, but the Blood and Gold turned things in their favour in the second half, striking via Florian Danho and Mohamed Amine Tougai.
Al Ahly levelled on the night via an own goal from Hamza Jelassi, but the same player scored at the ‘right’ end in injury time to seal an emphatic overall triumph for the Tunisians.
In the Confederation Cup, Algeria’s CR Belouizdad have become the first team to book their semifinal berth after they held Al Masry 0-0 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
CRB took the tie on away goals, after the first-leg in Suez last weekend ended 1-1.
The Champions League and Confederation Cup will conclude their quarterfinal ties with two and three matches respectively on Sunday 22 March.
CAF CLUB RESULTS
Saturday 21 March (Quarterfinal, second leg)
Champions League
Pyramids FC 1-2 ASFAR (ASFAR won 3-2 on aggregate)
Al Ahly 3-2 Esperance de Tunis (Esperance won 4-2 on aggregate)
Confederation Cup
CR Belouizdad 0-0 Al Masry (1-1 on aggregate, CRB won on away goals)
