The 2019–20 CAF Champions League (officially the 2019–20 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) was the 56th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 24th edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
This season was to be the first to follow an August–to-May schedule, as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the semi-finals and final of the competition to be postponed until October and November 2020. Moreover, for the first time, the final was played as a single match at a venue pre-selected by CAF, and was originally to be played at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon. However, during the suspension of the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cameroon decided to withdraw from hosting, and instead, the final was played in Egypt, at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo.
Ahly won a record-extending 9th title, defeating fellow Egyptian rivals Zamalek 2–1 in the final.
As winners of the 2019–20 CAF Champions League, Ahly qualified for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2019–20 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2020–21 CAF Super Cup.
This was the first time in the history of the CAF Champions League that the final was contested between two clubs from the same country.
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 2019–20 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2015–2019 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: 2018–19 – 5 2018 – 4 2017 – 3 2016 – 2 2015 – 1
This was announced by the CAF on 4 June 2019, as using the previous scheme, it would be based on results from 2014 to 2018. The only change for the top 12 associations is that Tanzania is included while Ivory Coast is excluded.
Teams The following 61 teams from 49 associations entered the competition. Three teams (in bold) received a bye to the first round. The other 58 teams entered the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2015–2019 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 (2018–19 CAF Champions League winners)2018–19 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsÉtoile du Sahel2018–19 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up Wydad AC2018–19 Botola championsRaja Casablanca2018–19 Botola runners-up Al-Ahly2018–19 Egyptian Premier League championsZamalek2018–19 Egyptian Premier League runners-up USM Alger2018–19 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsJS Kabylie2018–19 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up TP Mazembe2018–19 Linafoot championsAS Vita Club2018–19 Linafoot runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns2018–19 South African Premier Division championsOrlando Pirates2018–19 South African Premier Division runners-up ZESCO United2019 Zambian Super League championsGreen Eagles2019 Zambian Super League runners-up Al-Merrikh2018–19 Sudan Premier League championsAl-Hilal2018–19 Sudan Premier League runners-up Enyimba2019 Nigeria Professional Football League championsKano Pillars2019 Nigeria Professional Football League runners-up Horoya2018–19 Guinée Championnat National championsHafia2018–19 Guinée Championnat National runners-up 1º de Agosto2018–19 Girabola championsPetro de Luanda2018–19 Girabola runners-up Simba2018–19 Tanzanian Premier League championsYoung Africans2018–19 Tanzanian Premier League runners-up +Associations eligible to enter one teamAssociationTeamQualifying method SO de l'Armée2018–19 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 champions Gor Mahia2018–19 Kenyan Premier League champions UD Songo2018 Moçambola champions AS Otôho2018–19 Congo Ligue 1 champions KCCA2018–19 Uganda Premier League champions Al-Nasr2017–18 Libyan Premier League champions Asante Kotoko2019 GFA Normalization Committee Special Competition Tier 1 winners Rayon Sports2018–19 Rwanda Premier League champions FC Platinum2018 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League champions Green Mamba2018–19 Eswatini Premier League champions Mekelle 70 Enderta2018–19 Ethiopian Premier League champions Township Rollers2018–19 Botswana Premier League champions ASC Kara2018–19 Togolese Championnat National champions UMS de Loum2019 Elite One champions Stade Malien2018 Malian Cup winners Rahimo2018–19 Burkinabé Premier League champions Cercle Mbéri Sportif2019 Gabon Championnat National D1 championsBuffles du Borgou2018–19 Benin Premier League championsAigle Noir2018–19 Burundi Premier League championsAS Tempête Mocaf2019 Central African Republic League championsElect-Sport2019 Chad Premier League championsFomboni2019 Comoros Premier League championsCano Sport2018–19 Equatoguinean Primera División championsBrikama United2018–19 GFA League First Division championsMatlama2018–19 Lesotho Premier League championsLPRC Oilers2019 Liberian First Division League championsFosa Juniors2019 THB Champions League championsBig Bullets2018 Malawi Premier Division championsFC Nouadhibou2018–19 Ligue 1 Mauritania championsPamplemousses2018–19 Mauritian Premier League championsAfrican Stars2018–19 Namibia Premier League runners-upAS SONIDEP2018–19 Niger Premier League championsGénération Foot2018–19 Senegal Premier League championsCôte d'Or2018 Seychelles First Division championsDekedaha2019 Somali First Division championsAtlabara2019 South Sudan Football Championship championsKMKM2018–19 Zanzibar Premier League champions
Notes
Associations which did not enter a team
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows.
On 24 November 2019, CAF made a change to all fixtures dates starting from the group stage matchday 4 to the final, due to rescheduling of the 2020 African Nations Championship from January/February to April. The quarter-finals draw date was also changed.
Following the quarter-finals, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, the semi-finals, originally scheduled for 1–2 May (first legs) and 8–9 May (second legs), were postponed indefinitely on 11 April 2020, and the final, originally scheduled for 29 May, was also postponed on 18 April 2020. On 30 June 2020, the CAF Executive Committee proposed that the competition would resume with a Final Four format played as single matches in a host country to be decided. However, these plans were later halted after the Cameroonian Football Federation withdrew from hosting the Final Four, and the CAF decided against hosting it in either Egypt or Morocco in the principle of fairness. On 3 August 2020, the CAF announced that the competition would resume in its original format with the semi-finals played on 25–26 September (first legs) and 2–3 October (second legs), and the final played on 16 or 17 October. On 10 September 2020, the CAF announced that at the request of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the semi-finals were rescheduled to 17–18 October (first legs) and 23–24 October (second legs), and the final to 6 November. On 22 October 2020, the CAF announced that the semi-final second leg between Zamalek and Raja Casablanca, originally scheduled to be played on 24 October, was postponed to 1 November, due to Raja Casablanca being required by Moroccan authorities to self-isolate until 27 October after eight players testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, with the total number of cases increasing to fourteen the following day. On 30 October 2020, the CAF announced that this match was further postponed to 4 November, the final postponed to 27 November.
PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifyingPreliminary round21 July 20199–11 August 201923–25 August 2019First round13–15 September 201927–29 September 2019Group stageMatchday 19 October 201929–30 November 2019Matchday 26–7 December 2019Matchday 327–28 December 2019Matchday 410–11 January 2020Matchday 524–25 January 2020Matchday 631 January – 1 February 2020Knockout stageQuarter-finals5 February 202028–29 February 20206–7 March 2020Semi-finals17–18 October 202023 October & 4 November 2020Final27 November 2020
Qualifying rounds
Preliminary round
First round
Group stage
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance 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 Jackson Muleka TP Mazembe22 1 2 72 Achraf Bencharki Zamalek 2 1 1 1 53 Karim Aribi Étoile du Sahel 2 1 14 Mostafa Mohamed Zamalek 11 2 5 Badr Banoun Raja Casablanca 111 3 Mohamed Eldai Al-Hilal2 1 Ayoub El Kaabi Wydad AC 3 Winston Kalengo ZESCO United 1 11 Ali Maâloul Al-Ahly 2 1 Mabululu 1º de Agosto1 11 Mohamed Magdy Al-Ahly 1 1 1 Ben Malango Raja Casablanca 1 1 1 Toni Petro de Luanda 11 1
See also 2019–20 CAF Confederation Cup 2020–21 CAF Super Cup
Notes
References
External links Total CAF Champions League, CAFonline.com CAF Total Champions League 2019/20