The 2018–19 CAF Champions League (officially the 2018–19 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 23rd edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
This season followed a transitional calendar which allows the CAF club competitions to switch from a February-to-November schedule to an August–to-May schedule, as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017. It began in December 2018, right after the 2018 season had finished, and ended in May 2019, before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (which had been switched from a January/February to a June/July date). The next season then started after the Africa Cup of Nations and followed the new calendar.
Defending champions Espérance de Tunis won a second consecutive title, being declared the winners after their second leg match against Wydad AC in the final was abandoned.
As winners of the 2018–19 CAF Champions League, Espérance de Tunis qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup, Zamalek, in the 2020 CAF Super Cup.
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. As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2018–19 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2013–2017 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:
CAF Champions LeagueCAF Confederation CupWinners6 points5 pointsRunners-up5 points4 pointsLosing semi-finalists4 points3 pointsLosing quarter-finalists (from 2017)3 points2 points3rd place in groups2 points1 point4th place in groups1 point0.5 point
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows: 2017 – 5 2016 – 4 2015 – 3 2014 – 2 2013 – 1
Teams The following 57 teams from 46 associations entered the competition. For this season, the title holders (in bold italics) receive a bye to the group stage. Four teams (in bold) received a bye to the first round. The other 52 teams entered the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2013–2017 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.
+Associations eligible to enter two teams (Ranked 1–12)AssociationTeamQualifying method Espérance de TunisTitle holders (2018 CAF Champions League winners)2017–18 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsClub Africain2017–18 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up Al-Ahly2017–18 Egyptian Premier League championsIsmaily2017–18 Egyptian Premier League runners-up AS Vita Club2017–18 Linafoot championsTP Mazembe2017–18 Linafoot runners-up Ittihad Tanger2017–18 Botola championsWydad AC2017–18 Botola runners-up CS Constantine2017–18 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsJS Saoura2017–18 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns2017–18 South African Premier Division championsOrlando Pirates2017–18 South African Premier Division runners-up Al-Hilal2018 Sudan Premier League championsAl-Merrikh2018 Sudan Premier League runners-up ZESCO United2018 Zambia Super League championsNkana2018 Zambia Super League runners-up Al-Nasr2017–18 Libyan Premier League championsAl-Ahly Benghazi2017–18 Libyan Premier League runners-up Coton Sport2018 Elite One championsUMS de Loum2018 Elite One runners-up ASEC Mimosas2017–18 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 championsSC Gagnoa2017–18 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 runners-up UD Songo(one entrant only)2017 Moçambola champions +Associations eligible to enter one teamAssociationTeamQualifying method Jimma Aba Jifar2017–18 Ethiopian Premier League champions Lobi Stars2018 Nigeria Professional Football League first place AS Otohô2018 Congo Ligue 1 champions Stade Malien2018 Malian Cup winners 1º de Agosto2018 Girabola champions Horoya2017–18 Guinée Championnat National champions Mbabane Swallows2017–18 Swazi Premier League champions Vipers2017–18 Uganda Premier League champions FC Platinum2017 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League champions AS Mangasport2018 Gabon Championnat National D1 champions Simba2017–18 Tanzanian Premier League championsTownship Rollers2017–18 Botswana Premier League championsASF Bobo Dioulasso2017–18 Burkinabé Premier League championsLe Messager Ngozi2017–18 Burundi Premier League championsStade Centrafricaine2018 Central African Republic League championsElect-Sport2018 Chad Premier League championsVolcan Club2018 Comoros Premier League championsDjibouti Télécom2017–18 Djibouti Premier League championsLeones Vegetarianos2018 Equatoguinean Primera División championsGAMTEL2017–18 GFA League First Division championsGor Mahia2018 Kenyan Premier League championsBantu2017–18 Lesotho Premier League championsBarrack Young Controllers2018 Liberian First Division League championsCNaPS Sport2018 THB Champions League championsNyasa Big Bullets2017 Malawi Premier Division runners-upFC Nouadhibou2017–18 Ligue 1 Mauritania championsAfrican Stars2017–18 Namibia Premier League championsAS SONIDEP2017–18 Niger Premier League championsAPR2017–18 Rwanda Premier League championsASC Diaraf2017–18 Senegal Premier League championsLight Stars2018 Seychelles League Cup winnersAl-Hilal Wau2018 South Sudan Football Championship championsUS Koroki2017–18 Togolese Championnat National championsJKU2017–18 Zanzibar Premier League champions
Notes
Associations which did not enter a team
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics). Effective from the Champions League group stage, weekend matches were played on Fridays and Saturdays while midweek matches were played on Tuesdays, with some exceptions. Kick-off times were also fixed at 13:00 (Saturdays and Tuesdays only), 16:00 and 19:00 GMT.
PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifyingPreliminary round3 November 2018(Rabat, Morocco)27–28 November 20184–5 December 2018First round14–16 December 201821–23 December 2018Group stageMatchday 128 December 2018(Cairo, Egypt)11–12 January 2019Matchday 218–19 January 2019Matchday 31–2 February 2019Matchday 412 February 2019Matchday 58–9 March 2019Matchday 615–16 March 2019Knockout stageQuarter-finals20 March 2019(Cairo, Egypt)5–6 April 201912–13 April 2019Semi-finals26–27 April 20193–4 May 2019Final24–25 May 201931 May – 1 June 2019
Qualifying rounds
Preliminary round
First round
Group stage
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
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Knockout stage
Bracket
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Top goalscorers
RankPlayerTeam Total1 Themba Zwane Mamelodi Sundowns 21 1 1 52 Trésor Mputu TP Mazembe 2 1 1 4 Jackson Muleka TP Mazembe 2 1 1 Mohamed Nahiri Wydad AC 11 1 1 5 Ghazi Ayadi Club Africain 2 13 Youcef Belaïli Espérance de Tunis 1 1 1 Walid El Karti Wydad AC1 2 Meschak Elia TP Mazembe 1 1 1 Meddie Kagere Simba2 1 Kévin Mondeko TP Mazembe1 2 Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele AS Vita Club 21 Nedvěd Al-Ahly 1 2 Benson Shilongo Ismaily 111 Justin Shonga Orlando Pirates 2 1 Sid Ali Yahia-Chérif JS Saoura 11 1
See also 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup 2020 CAF Super Cup 2019 FIFA Club World Cup
Notes
References
External links Total CAF Champions League 2018/2019, CAFonline.com