The 2023–24 CAF Champions League (officially the 2023–24 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) was the 60th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 28th edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
The winners, Al Ahly, for their second consecutive and a record-extending 12th title, automatically qualified for the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2023–24 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2024 CAF Super Cup. They also qualified for the brand new 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
The qualifying rounds for the CAF Champions League may have been pushed back to August and September, and the group stage pushed forward to start in November. No official explanation was given, though the press claims that the reason was the introduction of CAF's newest competition, the African Football League, which began on 20 October 2023.
Association team allocation All 54 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 2023–24 CAF Champions League, the CAF used the 2019–2023 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 were the following:
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: 2022–23: × 5 2021–22: × 4 2020–21: × 3 2019–20: × 2 2018–19: × 1
Teams The following 54 teams from 42 associations entered the competition. Teams in: Bold received a bye to the second round. The other teams entered the first round.
Associations are shown according to their 2018–2023 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 AS FAR2022–23 Botola championsWydad AC2022–23 Botola runners-up2 Al AhlyPyramids2022–23 Egyptian Premier League runners-up 3 CR Belouizdad2022–23 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsCS Constantine2022–23 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up4 Mamelodi Sundowns2022–23 South African Premier Division championsOrlando Pirates2022–23 South African Premier Division runners-up5 Étoile du Sahel2022–23 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 championsEspérance de Tunis2022–23 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 runners-up6 Young Africans2022-23 Tanzanian Premier League championsSimba2022-23 Tanzanian Premier League runners-up7 TP Mazembe2022–23 Linafoot (Cancelled) First on FECOFA rankings AS Vita Club2022–23 Linafoot (Cancelled) Second on FECOFA rankings 8 Petro de Luanda2022–23 Girabola championsPrimeiro de Agosto2022–23 Girabola runners-up9 Al Hilal2022–23 Sudan Premier League champions Al Merrikh2022–23 Sudan Premier League runners-up10 Hafia2022–23 Guinée Championnat National championsHoroya2022–23 Guinée Championnat National runners-up11 Al Ahli Tripoli2022–23 Libyan Premier League championsAl Ahly Benghazi2022–23 Libyan Premier League runners-up12 Enyimba2022–23 Nigeria Professional Football League championsRemo Stars2022–23 Nigeria Professional Football League runners-up +Associations eligible to enter one teamAssociationRank TeamQualifying method13 ASEC Mimosas2022–23 Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1 champions14 Coton Sport2022–23 Elite One champions15 Power Dynamos2022–23 Zambian Super League champions16 AS Otohô2022–23 Congo Ligue 1 champions17 Génération Foot2022–23 Senegal Ligue 1 champions18 Real Bamako2022–23 Malian Première Division champions19 ASKO Kara2022–23 Togolese Championnat National champions19 Vipers2022–23 Uganda Premier League champions21 Jwaneng Galaxy2022–23 Botswana Premier League champions23 AS Douanes Ouagadougou2022–23 Burkinabé Premier League champions23 Green Mamba2022–23 Eswatini Premier League champions23 AS GNN2022–23 Niger Premier League champions27 Coton FC2022–23 Benin Premier League champions27 Medeama2022–23 Ghana Premier League champions27 FC Nouadhibou2022–23 Ligue 1 Mauritania champions—Bumamuru2022–23 Burundi Ligue A champions—Djabal2023 Comoros Premier League champions—Djibouti Telecom2022–23 Djibouti Premier League champions—Dragón2022–23 Equatoguinean Primera División champions—Saint George2022–23 Ethiopian Premier League champions—Centre Sportif de Bendje2022–23 Gabon Championnat National D1 champions—LISCR2022–23 Liberian First Division champions—Nyasa Big Bullets2022 Super League of Malawi champions—UD Songo2022 Moçambola champions—African Stars2022-23 Namibia Premier Football League champions—APR2022–23 Rwanda Premier League champions—Bo Rangers2023 Sierra Leone National Premier League champions—Gaadiidka2022–23 Somali First Division champions—Salaam FC Bor2023 South Sudan Football Championship champions—KMKM2022–23 Zanzibar Premier League champions
Associations which did not enter a team
Schedule +Schedule for 2023–24 CAF Champions LeaguePhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifying roundsFirst round25 July 202318–20 August 202325–27 August 2023Second round15–17 September 202329 September – 1 October 2023Group stageMatchday 16 October 202324–25 November 2023Matchday 21–2 December 2023Matchday 38–9 December 2023Matchday 419 December 2023Matchday 523–24 February 2024Matchday 61–2 March 2024Knockout stageQuarter-finals12 March 202429–30 March 20245–6 April 2024Semi-finals20 April 202426 April 2024Final18 May 202425 May 2024
Qualifying rounds
First round
Second round
Group stage
Tiebreakers
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Knockout stage
Bracket
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Top goalscorers
RankPlayerTeamTotal1 Sankara Karamoko ASEC Mimosas 121 42 Abdelraouf Benguit CR Belouizdad11 13 Hussein El Shahat Al Ahly1 11 Yan Sasse Espérance de Tunis1 1 1 Pacôme Zouzoua Young Africans 111
See also 2023–24 CAF Confederation Cup 2023 African Football League 2023 CAF Women's Champions League 2024 CAF Super Cup
References
External links CAFonline.com