CHAMPIONS ELECT

The group stages of the CAF Champions League are tough and require more than just skill alone to advance. Mark Gleeson gives a rundown of the 16 participating teams

AL AHLY

The 10-time continental champions have won more trophies in African club competition than any other team. After the departure of Pitso Mosimane, the Egyptian giants are now coached by the Swiss Marcel Koller.

AS VITA CLUB

The Kinshasa-based club won the old-style African Champions Cup in 1973 and are back in contention a half century later. Coach Raoul Shungu is back working at club level in DR Congo after working in Rwanda, Seychelles and Tanzania.

CHABAB BELOUIZDAD

This will be the third successive season that Belouizdad compete in the group competition, reaching the last eight in both previous editions.

Nabil Kouki took over as head coach of the Algerian club at the start of the new season.

COTON SPORT

The team from the northern provincial town of Garoua have been Cameroon national champions 17 times since winning their first title in 1997. They were the runners-up in 2008 and are being coached by Ernest Agbor.

ESPÉRANCE

The Tunisian club share the record with Al Ahly of having qualified for the group phase 21 times, but they have only won the Champions League four times, last in 2019. They are led by Nabil Maaloul, who was Tunisia's coach at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

HOROYA