2017 CAF Champions League
African club football tournament
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The 2017 CAF Champions League (officially the 2017 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 53rd edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 21st edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
Wydad AC (2nd title)
Al Ahly| 2017 Total CAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 10 February – 4 November 2017 |
| Teams | 55 (from 43 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Wydad AC (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Al Ahly |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 138 |
| Goals scored | 318 (2.3 per match) |
| Top scorer |  Taha Yassine Khenissi (7 goals) |
← 2016 2018 → | |
Starting from this season, the group stage was expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four, and the knockout stage expanded from 4 to 8 teams.[2][3]
Wydad AC defeated Al Ahly in the final to win their second African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League title,[4] and qualified as the CAF representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup, TP Mazembe, in the 2018 CAF Super Cup.[5] Mamelodi Sundowns were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Wydad Casablanca.
Association team allocation
All 56 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.[5] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2017 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2011–2015 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:[6]
| CAF Champions League | CAF Confederation Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 5 points | 4 points |
| Runners-up | 4 points | 3 points |
| Losing semi-finalists | 3 points | 2 points |
| 3rd place in groups | 2 points | 1 point |
| 4th place in groups | 1 point | 1 point |
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:
- 2015 – 5
- 2014 – 4
- 2013 – 3
- 2012 – 2
- 2011 – 1
Teams
The following 55 teams from 43 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 2011–2015 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.
- Notes
- ^ Réunion (REU): Réunion were represented by Saint-Louisienne, 2015 Réunion Premier League runners-up, as the 2016 Réunion Premier League was not completed by the end of the year.
- ^ Sierra Leone (SLE): Sierra Leone were represented by Johansen, the 2016 Sierra Leonean FA Cup winners, as the league was not played in 2016.
- ^ South Sudan (SSD): South Sudan were represented by Atlabara, the 2015 South Sudan Football Championship champions, as the league was not played in 2016.
- Associations which did not enter a team
Stade Malien Real BamakoGauteng teams
Bidvest Wits
Mamelodi SundownsGreater Cairo teams
Al Ahly
ZamalekOmdurman teams
Al-Hilal Al-Merrikh Red: Preliminary round; Green: First Round; Brown: Group A; Orange: Group B; Yellow: Group C; Blue: Group D.Schedule
The schedule of the competition was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[7][8]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 21 December 2016 (Cairo, Egypt) |
10–12 February 2017 | 17–19 February 2017 |
| First round | 10–12 March 2017 | 17–19 March 2017 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 26 April 2017 (Cairo, Egypt) |
12–14 May 2017 | |
| Matchday 2 | 23–24 May 2017 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 2–4 June 2017 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 20–21 June 2017 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 30 June – 2 July 2017 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 7–9 July 2017 | |||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 15–17 September 2017 | 22–24 September 2017 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 September – 1 October 2017 | 20–22 October 2017 | ||
| Final | 27–29 October 2017 | 3–5 November 2017 | ||
The calendar was amended from the original one for the following dates:[8]
- Quarter-finals first leg: moved from 8–10 September to 15–17 September
- Quarter-finals second leg: moved from 15–17 September to 22–24 September
- Semi-finals second leg: moved from 13–15 October to 20–22 October
Qualifying rounds
The draw for the preliminary round and first round was held on 21 December 2016 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[9][10] In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).[5]
Preliminary round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rail Club du Kadiogo  |
3–1 |  Diables Noirs |
3–0 | 0–1 |
Sony Elá Nguema  |
1–5 |  Al-Merrikh |
0–1 | 1–4 |
AS Real Bamako  |
0–4 |  Rivers United |
0–0 | 0–4 |
AS Tanda  |
4–3 |  AS FAN |
3–0 | 1–3 |
US Gorée  |
1–2 |  Horoya |
0–0 | 1–2 |
Johansen  |
1–4 | FUS Rabat |
1–1 | 0–3 |
Wa All Stars  |
1–5 |  Al-Ahli Tripoli |
1–3 | 0–2 |
KCCA  |
2–2 (a) |  1º de Agosto |
1–0 | 1–2 |
CF Mounana  |
3–0 |  Vital'O |
2–0 | 1–0 |
Zanaco  |
1–0 |  APR |
0–0 | 1–0 |
Ngaya Club  |
2–6 |  Young Africans |
1–5 | 1–1 |
Barrack Young Controllers  |
1–1 (7–6 p) | Stade Malien |
1–0 | 0–1 |
Zimamoto  |
3–4 |  Ferroviário Beira |
2–1 | 1–3 |
JS Saoura  |
1–1 (a) | Enugu Rangers |
1–1 | 0–0 |
Royal Leopards  |
1–4 |  AS Vita Club |
0–1 | 1–3 |
Gambia Ports Authority  |
1–0 | Séwé Sport |
1–0 | 0–0 |
CNaPS Sport  |
4–4 (a) |  Township Rollers |
2–1 | 2–3 |
Coton Sport  |
7–2 |  Atlabara |
2–0 | 5–2 |
Saint-Louisienne  |
3–4 |  Bidvest Wits |
2–1 | 1–3 |
Lioli  |
1–2 |  CAPS United |
0–0 | 1–2 |
Côte d'Or  |
0–5 |  Saint George |
0–2 | 0–3 |
| AC Léopards |
2–2 (a) | UMS de Loum |
1–0 | 1–2 |
Tusker  |
2–3 |  AS Port-Louis 2000 |
1–1 | 1–2 |
First round
The 16 winners of the first round advanced to the group stage, while the 16 losers of the first round entered the Confederation Cup play-off round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USM Alger |
2–1 | Rail Club du Kadiogo |
2–0 | 0–1 |
| Rivers United |
3–4 | Al-Merrikh |
3–0 | 0–4 |
| Étoile du Sahel |
5–1 | AS Tanda |
3–0 | 2–1 |
| Espérance de Tunis |
4–3 | Horoya |
3–1 | 1–2 |
| Al-Ahli Tripoli |
3–3 (a) | FUS Rabat |
2–0 | 1–3 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns |
3–2 | KCCA |
2–1 | 1–1 |
| Wydad AC |
1–1 (5–4 p) | CF Mounana |
1–0 | 0–1 |
| Young Africans |
1–1 (a) | Zanaco |
1–1 | 0–0 |
| Ferroviário Beira |
2–2 (4–1 p) | Barrack Young Controllers |
2–0 | 0–2 |
| Zamalek |
5–3 | Enugu Rangers |
4–1 | 1–2 |
| Gambia Ports Authority |
1–3 | AS Vita Club |
1–1 | 0–2 |
| Coton Sport |
2–1 | CNaPS Sport |
1–0 | 1–1 |
| Al Ahly |
1–0 | Bidvest Wits |
1–0 | 0–0 |
| TP Mazembe |
1–1 (a) | CAPS United |
1–1 | 0–0 |
| AC Léopards |
0–3 | Saint George |
0–1 | 0–2 |
| Al-Hilal |
5–2 | AS Port-Louis 2000 |
3–0 | 2–2 |
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 |
|---|
|
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations III. 20 & 21):[5]
|
Group A
Notes:
- FIFA suspended the Sudan Football Association on 7 July 2017.[11] As a result, both Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh could not play their final group matches against Ferroviário Beira and Étoile du Sahel respectively, and the matches were awarded as 3–0 wins to their opponents.[12]
Group B
Notes:
- Head-to-head results: Zamalek 2–0 CAPS United, CAPS United 3–1 Zamalek (Zamalek won on away goals).
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EST | MSD | STG | VIT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espérance de Tunis |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 12 | Quarter-finals | — | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Mamelodi Sundowns |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Saint George |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 5[a] | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | AS Vita Club |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5[a] | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | — |
Notes:
- Head-to-head results: Saint George 1–0 AS Vita Club, AS Vita Club 2–1 Saint George (Saint George won on away goals).
Group D
Notes:
- Head-to-head results: Al-Ahly 0–0 Zanaco, Zanaco 0–0 Al-Ahly (tied on head-to-head results, ranked on total goal difference).
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the eight teams played a single-elimination tournament. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 26 & 27).[5]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||
| Al Ahli Tripoli
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Étoile du Sahel
| 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Étoile du Sahel
| 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Al Ahly
| 1 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Al Ahly
| 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Espérance de Tunis
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Al Ahly
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad AC
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Ferroviário Beira
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| USM Alger
| 1 | 0 | 1 (a) | ||||||||||||||
| USM Alger
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad AC
| 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Mamelodi Sundowns
| 1 | 0 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Wydad AC
| 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | ||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
In the quarter-finals, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group, with the group winners hosting the second leg.[5]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahli Tripoli |
0–2 | Étoile du Sahel |
0–0 | 0–2 |
| Al Ahly |
4–3 | Espérance de Tunis |
2–2 | 2–1 |
| Ferroviário Beira |
1–1 (a) | USM Alger |
1–1 | 0–0 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns |
1–1 (2–3 p) | Wydad AC |
1–0 | 0–1 |
Semi-finals
In the semi-finals, the four quarter-final winners played in two ties, with the order of legs decided by an additional draw held after the group stage draw.[13]
Final
In the final, the two semi-final winners played each other, with the order of legs decided by an additional draw held after the group stage draw.[14]
Wydad Casablanca won 2–1 on aggregate.
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taha Yassine Khenissi |
ES Tunis |
1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||||||
| 2 | Achraf Bencharki |
Wydad AC |
1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| 3 | Walid Azaro |
Al Ahly |
1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Oussama Darfalou |
USM Alger |
1 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Tady Etekiama |
AS Vita Club |
2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 6 |  Diogo Acosta |
Étoile du Sahel |
2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Junior Ajayi |
Al Ahly |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Brian Amidu |
CAPS United |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Farouk Chafaï |
USM Alger |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Ronald Chitiyo |
CAPS United |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Walid El Karti |
Wydad AC |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Ronald Pfumbidzai |
CAPS United |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Moamen Zakaria |
Al Ahly |
1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Prize money
In 2017, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is as follows: [15]
| Final position | Money awarded to club | National Association share 5% |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | US$2,500,000 | US$125,000 |
| Runners-up | US$1,250,000 | US$62,500 |
| Semi-finalists | US$800,000 | US$40,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | US$650,000 | US$32,500 |
| 3rd in group stage | US$550,000 | US$27,500 |
| 4th in group stage | US$550,000 | US$27,500 |