Africa’s football governing body, CAF, on Friday released the procedures for the draws of the upcoming inaugural African Football League (AFL), slated to commence on October 20, 2023, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The AFL, which is a competition organized by both CAF and the world governing body FIFA, is a four-week tournament set to showcase the best club sides on the continent.
The draw, which is scheduled to hold at the Crowne Plaza West Cairo Arkan in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, September 2, will determine how the eight participating teams will face off based on their respective CAF rankings.
The teams that are ranked from 7 to 22 will be allocated to plot 1, while the teams ranked 1 to 6 will be placed in plot 2. Also, the quarterfinal draws, which will be allocated to pot 3, will be done subsequently, with the four teams from pot 1 playing at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Congo’s TP Mazembe (7), along with Enyimba Football Club of Nigeria (22), Angola’s Atlético Petróleos de Luanda (12), and Simba Sports Club of Tanzania (14) are all in pot 1.
Pot 2 contains reigning CAF Champions League champions Al-Ahly Sporting Club of Egypt (1), Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club (2), Tunisia’s Esperance Tunis (3), and Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club of South Africa (6).
The path to the semifinals of the competition has also been determined, with the winners of quarterfinal match 1 playing the winners of match 4, while the winners of match 2 will take on the winners of match 3.
The semifinals of the AFL will take place between October 29 and November 1, with the final, which will be two-legged, set for November 5 and 11, 2023.
