It’s been tinkered with for years, and now it’s starting: the “African Football League“. It is intended to provide the continent’s largest clubs with new income opportunities. Here is the FAQ about the new league.
What is the idea behind the “African Football League”?
The idea was announced in 2019 and is a joint creation of the world football governing body FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The original plan was to create a league of the 24 largest African leagues teams and have them compete against each other throughout the season. All that remains for the first edition is one tournament of eight teams between October 20th and November 11th.
Why the reduction to eight teams?
For financial and organizational reasons, the league was significantly reduced in size. Travel costs and infrastructural expenses would have exceeded the earning potential of many clubs. In addition, the interest from sponsors was nowhere near as great as the organizers originally announced. There were also problems with “Bein Sports”, the TV partner of the African Football Association. They parted ways in a dispute and there is still no TV solution for the new competition.
What can the clubs earn?
Originally the winner was supposed to be a 24th teams Comprehensive edition received $11.5 million in prize money. After the reduction to eight teams, there is now four million US dollars in prize money for the winner. This was only sustainable because shortly before the tournament started, a main sponsor was found, “Visit Saudi”. The background seems obvious: this engagement by the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority, which also signed a sponsorship agreement with the Spanish La Liga in August, coincides closely with the country’s upcoming World Cup bid. And Africa has a lot of votes to cast within FIFA.
| team | country |
|---|---|
Al Ahly Cairo | Egypt |
Enyimba FC | Nigeria |
Esperance Tunis | Tunisia |
Mamelodi Sundowns | South Africa |
Petro Atlético de Luanda | Angola |
Simba SC | Tanzania |
TP Mazembe | DR Congo |
Wydad Casablanca | Morocco |
How does the mode work?
The tournament will be played in knockout mode within four weeks. So it starts with the quarter-finals, followed by the semi-finals and finals. All duels will be played as home and away games. The first game will be played on October 20th by Simba from Tanzania and Al Ahly from Egypt.
What are the first games in the quarterfinals?
Simba FC – Al Ahly (Friday October 20)
TP Mazembe – Esperance Tunis (Saturday, Oct 21)
Petro Luanda – Mamelodi Sundowns (Saturday, Oct 21)
Enyimba FC – Wydad Casablanca (Sunday, Oct. 22)
Who is favorite?
Al Ahly Cairo is the largest and probably most financially powerful club on the African continent. That’s why the Egyptians, who are coached by the Swiss Marcel Koller, are the favorites in the race. But Wydad Casablanca from the up-and-coming soccer team in Morocco and Nigeria’s top club Enyimba FC are also given chances to win.