African Women’s Champions League to Retain Eight-Team Format

The Caf Women’s Champions League, which has seen South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns claim the title twice in 2021 and last year, will not increase beyond its current eight-team final stage for the immediate future, a senior football official in Africa has stated. The tournament’s fourth edition is scheduled to commence in Morocco this Saturday, with South African club Mamelodi Sundowns preparing to defend their championship. The Confederation of African Football (Caf) attributes its decision to not expand the number of participating teams or adopt the 16-team men’s tournament structure – which involves home and away fixtures across six group-stage games followed by two-legged knockout rounds from the quarter-finals – primarily to financial constraints. Meske Goshime, who leads the women’s football division at Caf, stated, “We cannot afford home and away matches.” She further explained, “Our clubs are not financially strong [enough] to travel three or four times and play home and away. Travelling in Africa is not really easy – you have to catch flights, travel sometimes for 24 hours.” Zonal qualifying rounds are expected to persist for a period. Goshime commented, “We want more member associations engaging in the qualifiers before we can push it forward and say that we need a 12-team or a 16-team final.” Goshime also mentioned that Caf’s primary objective is to leverage the competition to elevate the standard of domestic leagues across the continent, which is then projected to consequently enhance the quality of national teams. This year’s Women’s Champions League features a significantly altered roster of participants, with five teams making their inaugural appearance. Since the tournament’s inception in 2021, 23 distinct clubs have participated, with two-time victors Sundowns and Morocco’s AS FAR, who won in 2022, being the only teams to have competed in every edition. “We are focussing on making sure that we develop this strong brand of the Women’s Champions League and making it competitive,” Goshime further stated. She continued, “We are also making sure the game is professionalised and that domestic leagues are strong. Once it has been done we can expand the number of teams competing in the final stage.” Caf has announced a 52% increase in prize money for this year, ensuring that each participating team receives a minimum of $150,000 (£116,000). The champions of the final on 23 November will be awarded $600,000 (£463,00), whereas the second-placed team will collect $400,000 (£308,000). Among the teams making their first appearance this year is the University of the Western Cape, whose coach, Thinasonke Mbuli, expressed that participating in the finals is “a dream.” Mbuli hopes her considerable coaching background with the South Africa women’s national team will prove advantageous for the debutants. The South African squad is drawn in Group A, where they will compete against AS FAR, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe, and Aigles de la Medina of Senegal. “It’s something that we have been longing for for years,” Mbuli informed BBC Sport Africa. She added, “I joined in 2019 and, as a club, you want to see yourself playing at the high-end competition.” “I believe we have a good enough team to really push and hopefully get us out of the group stages,” she stated. Mbuli, who also serves as an assistant coach to South Africa women’s head coach Desiree Ellis, will achieve a personal ambition in Morocco. “I’ve coached at the Women’s World Cup, I’ve coached at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), but as a coach I’ve never been to the Champions League,” she remarked. She speculated, “Maybe my experience will help in terms of preparing the players mentally. We just have to think how to respond to the pressure that comes with it.” In Group B, Sundowns are scheduled to compete against three new entrants: FC Masar of Egypt, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), and the Nigerian team Edo Queens, whose defender Miracle Usani played for Nigeria at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022. Edo Queens boss Moses Aduku commented, “Nigeria is the most successful nation in African women’s football,” referring to the 11 continental championships secured by the Super Falcons. He added, “But that dominance has not reflected yet in the women’s club football. We are coming to Morocco with the mindset that Nigeria is the best in Africa.” Concurrently, CBE forward Senaf Wakuma expressed optimism regarding her team’s prospects. “Winning the Cecafa (regional) title has already given us a boost and we’re ready for the challenge ahead,” she informed BBC Amharic. She continued, “We’re aware that some teams like to play direct football, which is why we’re taking extra time to study their approach.” “While our ultimate ambition is to bring the trophy home and make our country proud, our primary goal is to reach the final four,” Wakuma concluded. South Africa coach Desiree Ellis stated that players can acquire significant exposure in the Caf Women’s Champions League. Ellis will closely monitor the matches in Casablanca and El Jadida, as 11 players from the Banyana Banyana squad who competed against Denmark and England in friendly matches last month are participating in the competition. “It’s a different set-up to national team football, but it’s still an environment where you are challenged,” she commented. “The experience that players gain in these competitions is second to none,” Ellis affirmed. Ellis further noted that the finals will serve as a “shop window” for the continent’s top players, allowing them to be scouted by leading clubs globally. Examples include Ghana forward Evelyn Badu, who secured a transfer to Norway after being the top scorer in 2021, and 2022 golden boot recipient Ibtissam Jraidi, who now plays professionally in Saudi Arabia, while Tanzania’s Opah Clement is based in Turkey. “The talent is there and you see the development of players coming through,” Ellis observed. She added, “I don’t think the talent being regularly taken to Europe is devaluing the competition. Because I think if you look over the last three years, the competition has got better and better.” In the long run, Caf intends to support the two African teams that qualify for the inaugural 16-team Fifa Women’s Club World Cup, scheduled for early 2026. “We want to make sure we have strong representation,” Gomishe stated. She elaborated, “Once we determine who is going to be going to the Club World Cup we will make sure those two clubs are supported and have friendlies available for them.” The group stage draw places AS FAR (Morocco, hosts), Aigles de la Medina (Senegal), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), and University of the Western Cape (South Africa) in Group A. Group B comprises Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa, holders), FC Masar (Egypt), Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (Ethiopia), and Edo Queens (Nigeria). The group stage matches are scheduled from 9-16 November, followed by the semi-finals on 19 November, the third-place play-off on 22 November, and the final on 23 November.