Familiar foe for African Champions League holders
JOHANNESBURG : African Champions League holders Pyramids of Egypt will be up against a familiar foe in the group phase of this year's competition but were also drawn with two other debutants.
Pyramids beat Renaissance Berkane of Morocco 1-0 in last month’s African Super Cup in Cairo but were paired with them again at the draw in Johannesburg on Monday.
Berkane are one of four clubs in the 16-team field who have never previously competed in the group stage, but after winning the Moroccan league and African Confederation Cup last season were one of the four top seeds for the draw.
Power Dynamos of Zambia and Nigeria’s Rivers United are also debutants in the group phase and were drawn with the holders in Group A.
Record victors Al Ahly of Egypt, who have won the continent's top club prize 12 times, face stiff North African opposition from former winners JS Kabylie of Algeria and Morocco's Royal Armed Forces in Group B.
Al Ahly have reached the Champions League group phase for an 11th successive edition, as have the South Africans Mamelodi Sundowns, who were top seeds in Group C.
Sundowns were runners-up to Pyramids last season and were paired with Al Hilal of Sudan, who qualified again despite the deadly civil war in the country.
They have been forced to base themselves outside of Sudan over the last three years and were last month granted permission to play in the league in Rwanda this season.
Sundowns will also face Mouloudia Alger, whose new coach Rulani Mokwena took Sundowns to three successive titles until his unceremonious sacking, despite winning the 2023-24 title.
The other newcomer in the group stage is Stade Malien, who were drawn in Group D. They reached the last 16 for the first time at their 20th attempt.
The top two finishers in each of the four groups advance to the quarter-finals in March. The group phase starts on the weekend of November 21-22 and will continue through to mid-February.
The draw:
Group A: Power Dynamos (Zambia), Pyramids (Egypt), Renaissance Berkane (Morocco), Rivers United (Nigeria)
Group B: Al Ahly (Egypt), JS Kabylie (Algeria), Royal Armed Forces (Morocco), Young Africans (Tanzania)
Group C: Al Hilal (Sudan), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Mouloudia Alger (Algeria), St Eloi Lupopo (DR Congo)
Group D: Esperance (Tunisia), Petro Atletico (Angola), Simba (Tanzania), Stade Malien (Mali)
(Editing by Christian Radnedge)
