The 2021–22 CAF Champions League (known as the 2021–22 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for sponsorship purposes) was the 58th season of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 26th season under the current CAF Champions League title.
Wydad Casablanca won their 3rd title with a 2–0 win against the two-time defending champions, Al Ahly, in the final at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco, Wydad earned the right to play against RS Berkane, the winners of the 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup, in the 2022 CAF Super Cup, As the first Super Cup to bring together two Moroccan clubs in history.
Association team allocation A total of 42 out of the 56 CAF member associations entered this season's CAF Champions League, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to their CAF 5-year ranking eligible to enter two teams in the competition. For this season, the CAF utilized the 2017–2021 CAF 5-year ranking, which calculated points for each entrant association based on their clubs' performance over those 5 years in the CAF club competitions. The criteria for points were as follows:
CAF Champions LeagueCAF Confederation CupWinners6 points5 pointsRunners-up5 points4 pointsLosing semi-finalists4 points3 pointsLosing quarter-finalists3 points2 points3rd place in groups2 points1 point4th place in groups1 point0.5 point
The points were multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows: 2020–21: x 5 2019–20: × 4 2018–19: × 3 2018: × 2 2017: × 1
Teams The following 54 teams from 42 out of the total 54 member associations entered this season's tournament. Teams in Bold received a bye to the second round. The other teams entered the first round.
Associations are shown according to their 2017–2021 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score (in parentheses) indicated.
+Associations eligible to enter two teams (Top 12 associations)AssociationRank TeamQualifying method1 Wydad AC2020–21 Botola championsRaja CA2020–21 Botola runners-up2 Zamalek2020–21 Egyptian Premier League first place after 29 roundsAl Ahly3 Espérance de Tunis2020–21 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsÉtoile du Sahel2020–21 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up4 CR Belouizdad2020–21 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 first place after 35 roundsES Sétif2020–21 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 second place after 35 rounds5 Mamelodi Sundowns2020–21 South African Premier Division championsAmaZulu2020–21 South African Premier Division runners-up6 TP Mazembe2020–21 Linafoot championsAS Maniema Union2020–21 Linafoot runners-up7 Horoya AC2020–21 Guinée Championnat National championsCI Kamsar2020–21 Guinée Championnat National runners-up8 Akwa United2020–21 Nigeria Professional Football League championsRivers United2020–21 Nigeria Professional Football League runners-up9 ZESCO United2020–21 Zambian Super League championsZanaco2020–21 Zambian Super League runners-up10 Sagrada Esperança2020–21 Girabola championsPetro de Luanda2020–21 Girabola runners-up11 Al Hilal2020–21 Sudan Premier League champions Al Merrikh2020–21 Sudan Premier League runners-up12 Simba2020–21 Tanzanian Premier League championsYoung Africans2020–21 Tanzanian Premier League runners-up +Associations eligible to enter one teamAssociationRank TeamQualifying method13 Fovu de Baham2020–21 Elite One first place by 8 August 202114 Teungueth2020–21 Senegal Premier League champions15 Al Ittihad2020–21 Libyan Premier League champions16 ASEC Mimosas2020–21 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 champions17 Tusker2020–21 FKF Premier League first place by 30 June 202117 FC Platinum2020 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League champions19 AS Otohô2021 Congo Premier League champions20 Stade Malien2020–21 Malian Première Division champions20 UD Songo2019 Moçambola runners-up20 Express2020–21 Uganda Premier League champions23 AS SONABEL2020–21 Burkinabé Premier League champions23 Hearts of Oak2020–21 Ghana Premier League champions23 APR2020–21 Rwanda Premier League champions26 Royal Leopards2020–21 Eswatini Premier League champions27 Loto-Popo2020–21 Benin Premier League champions27 Jwaneng Galaxy2019–20 Botswana Premier League champions27 Fasil Kenema2020–21 Ethiopian Premier League champions27 FC Nouadhibou2020–21 Ligue 1 Mauritania champions27 ASKO Kara2020–21 Togolese Championnat National champions32 AS Bouenguidi2020–21 Gabon Championnat National D1 champions—Le Messager Ngozi2020–21 Burundi Premier League champions—DFC 8ème2020–21 Central African Republic League champions—Arta/Solar72020–21 Djibouti Premier League champions—Akonangui2020–21 Equatoguinean Primera División champions—Fortune FC2020–21 GFA League First Division champions—LPRC Oilers2020–21 Liberian First Division champions—Nyasa Big Bullets2020–21 Super League of Malawi first place by 1 August 2021—USGN2020–21 Niger Premier League champions—Mogadishu City2020–21 Somali First Division champions—KMKM2020–21 Zanzibar Premier League champions
Associations which did not enter a team
Notes:
Schedule The schedule for this season's edtition of the tournament were as follows:
+Schedule for 2021–22 CAF Champions LeaguePhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualificationFirst round13 August 202110–12 September 202117–19 September 2021Second round15–17 October 202122–24 October 2021Group stageMatchday 128 December 202111–12 February 2022Matchday 218–19 February 2022Matchday 325–26 February 2022Matchday 411–12 March 2022Matchday 518–19 March 2022Matchday 61–2 April 2022Knockout stageQuarter-finals5 April 202215–16 April 202222–23 April 2022Semi-finals6–7 May 202213–14 May 2022Final30 May 2022 at Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca
Qualifying rounds
First round
Second 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 Tiago Azulão Petro de Luanda 112 11 62 Mohamed Sherif Al Ahly2 1 1 15 Zouhair El Moutaraji Wydad AC 1 11 24 Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane Espérance de Tunis3 1 4 Yahya Jabrane Wydad AC1 11 1 Riad Benayad ES Sétif 12 17 Elsamani Saadeldin Al Merrikh1 2 3 Kheireddine Merzougui CR Belouizdad 21 Thapelo Morena Mamelodi Sundowns 1 2 Kingsley Eduwo Espérance de Tunis1 2 Gilbert Baruti Jwaneng Galaxy 1 2 Guy Mbenza Wydad AC1 1 1 Percy Tau Al Ahly 1 2
See also 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup 2022 CAF Super Cup 2022 FIFA Club World Cup
References
External links