CAF Confederation Cup: Which Teams Have Qualified for the Quarter-final Stage?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
CAF Confederation Cup Quarter-finalists
On matchday 6 at the end of an incredible group stage, a whopping 26 goals were delivered across the eight fixtures. Now, eight teams spanning six countries have booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup which gets underway on March 30, with the second legs scheduled for April 6.
Group A: Constantine Through Despite Loss
Simba SC secured their place in the last eight of the competition with a convincing 2-0 win over CS Constantine to emerge as winners of Group A. The Tanzanian Premier League outfit showcased their tactical superiority, with goals from Kibu Denis and Leonel Ateba leading them to victory. The result propelled Simba to 13 points, narrowly edging Constantine, who finished on 12 points, and qualified in second place despite losing their final match of the group.
In the other match in this group, CS Sfaxien delivered a resounding 4-0 triumph over Bravos do Maquis. The Tunisian side made the most of defensive errors by their Angolan opponents, with two of their four goals coming by way of own goals. Despite their commanding performance, Sfaxien’s disappointing results earlier in the competition left them bottom of the group with three points, while Bravos finished just ahead on four points.
Group B: Giants and Debutants Progress
In Group B, Renaissance Berkane sent out a clear statement in their final match, demolishing South Africa’s Stellenbosch 5-0. The Moroccan side’s dominant performance at the Municipal Stadium on Sunday was highlighted by a Pape Bassene brace, along with early goals from Omar Lamlioui and Youssef Mehri. This emphatic victory solidified Berkane’s position as the group winner with 14 points.
Meanwhile, despite the heavy defeat, Stellenbosch FC will join Berkane in the last eight, having secured their qualification with a game to spare thanks to their earlier performances. The South African PSL side beat Stade Malian 2-0 in the previous round which took them to nine points, four ahead of the bottom two ahead of the final round of matches. Stade Malian beat Deportivo Luanda-Sul in the other match in the group to end on seven points, claiming third place.
Group C: No Surprises In This Section
USM Alger saw off ASC Jaraaf on matchday six of the competition to secure their spot in the next round as group winners. Late goals by Ismail Belkacemi and Saadi Radouani proved decisive, as the Algerian powerhouse got through to the next round unbeaten with 14 points, six clear of their closest rivals. Alger were also the highest-scoring team in the group stage, netting 14 times in six games while only conceding twice.
Joining Alger in the knockout round is ASEC Mimosas, who produced arguably their best performance of the competition, beating Opara United 4-0. Celestin Ecua led the charge with a brace, while Armand Dagrou Djedje and Salifou Diarrassouba completed the rout. The Ivorians ended level on eight points with Jaraaf but got through to the knockout stage due to a better head-to-head record.
Group D: Egyptian Giants Dominate Leaderboard
Zamalek kept their title defence alive by powering through Group D unbeaten after securing a 3-1 victory against NPFL opponents Enyimba over the weekend. Seifeddine Jaziri netted twice and Mostafa “Shikabala” Shalaby also got on the scoresheet, taking their side to 14 points, five ahead of the team in second. The result sent the Nigerian champs crashing out of the tournament with five points.
Rounding out the quarter-finalists in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup are Zamalek’s Egyptian Premier League rivals Al Masry. A masterclass performance from Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, who scored a clinical hat-trick against Black Bulls of Maputo on matchday six, spearheaded the 3-1 victory and took his side to nine points.
Teams That Qualified For Knockout Stage
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A | Simba | CS Constantine |
| B | RS Berkane | Stellenbosch |
| C | USM Alger | ASEC Mimosas |
| D | Zamalek | Al Masry |
The draw for the quarter-final of the 2024-25 CAF Confederation Cup has yet to be decided. However, the mechanism for the draw is known, with the four group winners receiving seeding, while the four runners-up will be unseeded.
Seeded teams with be drawn against the unseeded teams, with the former hosting the second leg of the competition. Teams that competed in the same group cannot be drawn against each other in the last eight but teams from the same association can face off in the next round.
