* The quarterfinals is dominated by North African side with five clubs involved — Egypt’s Al Ahly SC & Pyramids FC, Tunisia’ Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Morocco’s AS FAR & RS Berkane
* An intriguing encounter in these quarterfinalists is North African derby when record African club champions Al Ahly SC face familiar rivals Espérance Sportive de Tunis, whom they defeated in the 2024 final
Maravi Express
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa are the only side left representing Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League as they host Malian side Stade Malien in the quarterfinals scheduled for this evening at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
Advertisement
The quarterfinals is dominated by North African side with five clubs involved — Egypt’s Al Ahly SC & Pyramids FC, Tunisia’ Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Morocco’s AS FAR & RS Berkane.
The South African league champions, Mamelodi Sundowns return to the knockout stage determined to go one step further after finishing runners-up in last season’s CAF Champions League.
To reach this far, the Miguel Cardoso’s side began their campaign in the second preliminary round against Nigeria’s Remo Stars FC, producing an emphatic 7-1 aggregate victory — when they won 5-1 away before completing the job with a 2-0 win at home.
The group stage proved challenging. Sundowns failed to register an away victory, recording two home wins, three draws and one defeat – the loss coming against Al Hilal.
Their qualification remained uncertain until the final matchday when they hosted MC Alger — but Sundowns delivered under pressure, securing a 2-0 victory to advance to the quarter-finals.
Coaches shaping the CAF Champions League quarter-finals
For Stade Malien, the 2026 campaign has already become historic for them as the Bamako-based club reached the knockout stage for the first time in their history and also made their debut in the group stage.
They began their journey with a commanding 7-0 aggregate win over AS Tempête Mocaf of the Central African Republic, winning 5-0 away before adding a 2-0 home victory.
In the second round they faced Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou. After a 1-1 draw away, Stade Malien secured qualification with a 2-0 victory in Bamako.
Their biggest achievement came in the group stage where they topped their group with 11 points, finishing ahead of former champions Espérance Sportive de Tunis. They held Espérance to a draw in Tunis before defeating them in Mali, marking one of the surprises of the group phase.
They now face their toughest test yet against 2016 champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who are looking to go one better than their runners-up finish last season.
An intriguing encounter in these quarterfinalists is North African derby when record African club champions Al Ahly SC face familiar rivals Espérance Sportive de Tunis, whom they defeated in the 2024 final.
The two clubs have also met in three finals since 2012, all won by Al Ahly, adding further intensity to this quarter-final encounter and the clash at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades is widely regarded as one of the standout fixtures of the quarter-final stage, pitting together two of the most successful and decorated clubs in African football.
Both teams approach the encounter with clear objectives — Esperance seeking redemption after their defeat to Al Ahly in the final of the 2023/24 edition of the competition, while the Egyptian champions are aiming to reinforce their dominance and continue their pursuit of yet another continental title.
With the tie to be decided over two legs, both sides know that a positive result in the opening match could prove decisive in the race for a place in the semi-finals and keep their hopes of continental glory alive.
Egyptian side Pyramids FC enter the quarter-finals as the defending champions after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns in last season’s final to secure their maiden CAF Champions League title — while Moroccan giants AS FAR began their campaign with a trip to The Gambia to face Real de Banjul FC.—Reporting by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express
Advertisement