The 2018 CAF Confederation Cup (officially the 2018 Total CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th edition of Africa's secondary club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), under the current CAF Confederation Cup title after the merger of CAF Cup and African Cup Winners' Cup.
Raja Casablanca won the title for the first time, defeating AS Vita Club in the final, and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018 CAF Champions League in the 2019 CAF Super Cup.
TP Mazembe were the two-time defending champions, but as they qualified for the 2018 CAF Champions League and reached the group stage, they were not able to defend their title.
Association team allocation All 56 CAF member associations may enter the CAF Confederation Cup, 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 (plus 16 teams eliminated from the CAF Champions League which enter the play-off round) – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup, the CAF uses the 2012–2016 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 CupWinners5 points4 pointsRunners-up4 points3 pointsLosing semi-finalists3 points2 points3rd place in groups2 points1 point4th place in groups1 point1 point
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows: 2016 – 5 2015 – 4 2014 – 3 2013 – 2 2012 – 1
Teams The following 54 teams from 42 associations entered the competition. Teams in bold received a bye to the first round. The other teams entered the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2012–2016 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 Egypt Zamalek2016–17 Egyptian Premier League third placeAl-Masry2016–17 Egypt Cup runners-up Tunisia Club Africain2016–17 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 third placeUS Ben Guerdane2016–17 Tunisian Cup runners-up DR Congo DC Motema Pembe2016–17 Linafoot third placeAS Maniema Union2017 Coupe du Congo DR winners Algeria USM Alger2016–17 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 third placeCR Belouizdad2016–17 Algerian Cup winners South Africa Cape Town City2016–17 South African Premier Division third placeSuperSport United2016–17 Nedbank Cup winners Morocco Raja Casablanca2016–17 Botola third placeRS Berkane2016–17 Botola fourth place Sudan El-Hilal El-Obeid2017 Sudan Premier League third placeAl-Ahly Shendi2017 Sudan Cup winners Ivory Coast AS Tanda2016–17 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 third placeAfrica Sports2017 Coupe de Côte d'Ivoire winners Zambia Nkana2017 Zambia Super League third placeGreen Buffaloes2017 Zambia Super League fourth place Congo CARA Brazzaville2017 Congo Ligue 1 third placeCS La Mancha2017 Congo Ligue 1 fourth place Mali Djoliba2016 Malian Première Division third placeOnze Créateurs2016 Malian Cup winners Nigeria Enyimba2017 Nigeria Professional Football League third placeAkwa United2017 Nigerian FA Cup winners +Associations eligible to enter one teamAssociationTeamQualifying method Cameroon New Star2017 Cameroonian Cup winners Libya Al-Ittihad Tripoli2017 Libyan Premier League CAF competition playoff runners-up Ghana Asante Kotoko2017 Ghanaian FA Cup winners Tanzania Simba2016–17 Tanzania FA Cup winners Angola Petro de Luanda2017 Taça de Angola winners Ethiopia Welayta Dicha2017 Ethiopian Cup winners BeninEnergie2017 Benin Premier League runners-up BotswanaJwaneng Galaxy2016–17 Mascom Top 8 Cup winners Burkina FasoÉtoile Filante2017 Coupe du Faso winners BurundiOlympique Star2017 Burundian Cup winners ComorosNgazi Sport2017 Comoros Cup winners DjiboutiGendarmerie Nationale2017 Djibouti Cup winners Equatorial GuineaDeportivo Niefang2017 Equatoguinean Cup winners GabonAS Mangasport2016–17 Gabon Championnat National D1 runners-up GambiaBanjul Hawks2017 Gambian Cup winners GuineaHafia2017 Guinée Coupe Nationale winners KenyaAFC Leopards2017 FKF President's Cup winners LiberiaELWA United2017 Liberian Cup runners-up MadagascarFosa Juniors2017 Coupe de Madagascar winners MalawiMasters Security2017 Malawi FAM Cup losing semi-finalists MauritaniaFC Nouadhibou2017 Coupe du Président de la République winners MauritiusAS Port-Louis 20002017 Mauritian Cup winners MozambiqueCosta do Sol2017 Taça de Moçambique winners NigerSahel2017 Niger Cup winners RwandaAPR2017 Rwandan Cup winners SenegalMbour Petite-Côte2017 Senegal FA Cup winners SeychellesAnse Réunion2017 Seychelles FA Cup runners-up South SudanAl-Hilal Juba2017 South Sudan National Cup runners-up SwazilandYoung Buffaloes2017 Swazi Cup winners ZanzibarZimamoto2016–17 Zanzibar Premier League runners-up
Notes
A further 16 teams eliminated from the 2018 CAF Champions League entered the play-off round.
+Losers of 2018 CAF Champions League first round Saint George Zanaco Williamsville AC Aduana Stars CF Mounana MFM Génération Foot Young Africans Gor Mahia Plateau United Al-Hilal ASEC Mimosas UD Songo AS Vita Club Bidvest Wits Rayon Sports
Associations which did not enter a team
Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Eritrea Guinea-Bissau Lesotho Namibia Réunion São Tomé and Príncipe Sierra Leone Somalia Togo Uganda Zimbabwe
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics). The regulations were modified with an additional draw before the quarter-finals. Effective from the Confederation Cup group stage, weekend matches were played on Sundays while midweek matches were played on Wednesdays, with some exceptions. Kick-off times were also fixed at 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 GMT.
PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifyingPreliminary round13 December 2017(Cairo, Egypt)9–11 February 201820–21 February 2018First round6–7 March 201816–18 March 2018Play-off round21 March 2018(Cairo, Egypt)6–8 April 201817–18 April 2018Group stageMatchday 121 April 2018(Cairo, Egypt)6 May 2018Matchday 216 May 2018Matchday 318 July 2018Matchday 429 July 2018Matchday 519 August 2018Matchday 629 August 2018Knockout stageQuarter-finals3 September 2018(Cairo, Egypt)16 September 201823 September 2018Semi-finals3 October 201824 October 2018Final25 November 20182 December 2018
Qualifying rounds
Preliminary round
First round
Play-off 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 Mahmoud Benhalib Raja Casablanca 212 21 192 Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele AS Vita Club 21 2 1 173 Zakaria Hadraf Raja Casablanca 2 1 1 4 Soufiane Rahimi Raja Casablanca 11 25 Bonfilscaleb Bimenyimana Rayon Sports 111 3 Mouhcine Iajour Raja Casablanca 2 1 Cabwey Kivutuka CARA Brazzaville 1 1 1 Fabrice Luamba Ngoma AS Vita Club 1 1 1 Alain Traoré RS Berkane 11 1 Jacques Tuyisenge Gor Mahia 11 1
See also 2018 CAF Champions League 2019 CAF Super Cup
References
External links Total CAF Confederation Cup 2018, CAFonline.com