African Champions League betting tips
The 2019-20 CAF Champions League has nearly come to an end, with four teams left standing at the time of writing after the tournament was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019-20 African Champions League featured two teams from Morocco and two teams from Egypt in the final four sides who were competing at the semi-final stage of the competition.
Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca are the two Moroccan sides who found their way through to the semis, while Al-Ahly and Zamalek fly the flag for Egypt as one of these teams will be crowned as champions of Africa.
How to Bet on the CAF Champions League
The African Champions League starts with a preliminary stage and then a first round where the sixteen winners go through to the group stage of the competition, while the sixteen losers go into the Confederations Cup play-offs.
The group stage teams are then split between four different pots, with the teams based on their African coefficients and we then see the four groups played as part of a round robin format, with the leading two teams in each section going through to the last eight stage.
The quarter finals and the semi finals then take place over two legs before we have a two-legged CAF Champions League final before the final winner is announced.
There are lots of betting options throughout the tournament and many punters like to place CAF Champions League accumulators where there are lots of matches taking place concurrently and you can pack a multiple bet with plenty of different selections.
The History of the CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League was founded in 1964 although the more modern format was established in 1997, with Al Ahly the most successful club during the history of the competition and the Egyptian club have landed eight different crowns since the inception of the tournament.
ES Tunis have been a more successful club in recent years, with the Tunisian side having effectively doubled their number of Champions League crowns in 2018 and 2019 after previously winning the competition in 1994 and 2011.
TP Mazembe are another team who have been successful in the African Champions League, with the Congolese team having secured five titles and Egyptian side Zamalek have also bagged five wins and look like one of the more stronger modern contenders.
Every season, there’s the opportunity to bet on the action including the winner of the tournament and the outright betting odds are regularly updated after each round of games.
Whilst many football fans will be hugely knowledgeable about the UEFA Champions League, far fewer are conversant with the African equivalent. The African Champions League, known this year as the 2017 Total CAF Champions League, is the 53rd time the competition has been held.
The top African club sides slug it out from February to November, battling for continental supremacy, glory and a spot at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup. In the past 30 years or so this event has been dominated by clubs from North Africa and, in particular, Egypt. Egypt’s national team has won the Africa Cup of Nations four times since 1998, with Tunisia also triumphing in 2004, so perhaps that should come as no real surprise.
The CAF Champions League is not hugely watched or bet on in the UK and Europe. However, it is growing and in an increasingly global world it is worth considering if you’ve never before taken an interest. With games taking place in June and July it is a great option for those who find the summer months without major football all too long and dull.
If you do want to bet on the African Champions League, be sure to check out our live odds comparison. Whenever odds are available we’ll have the best of them right there, comparing prices from all the best betting sites so you don’t have to. As well as the match odds for each and every game, we’ll have a range of other odds too.
The final will be a two-legged affair taking place on the 27-29 October and the 3-5 November. Before then we have, of course, the semis and we’re currently at the quarter final stage (at the time of writing).
The eight sides left are Al-Ahli Tripoli of Libya, Étoile du Sahel and Espérance de Tunis of Tunisia, Egypt’s Al-Ahly, Mozambican side Ferroviário Beira, USM Alger of Algiers, Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa and Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.
The quarter finals will take place in September so we have a little wait before the African Champions League resumes. That gives you time to do your research though and decide who you fancy will be the outright winner of the 2017 CAF showpiece.
No side was truly dominant in the group phase this year. Whilst Espérance de Tunis were unbeaten and topped their group, they drew three games. None of the eight quarterfinalists took more than 12 points from 18 available and it really could be any of the remaining clubs that goes on to glory.
Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions and many are sure to fancy them. Equally Al Ahly are the most successful side in the history of the event with eight wins. That includes success in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
Overall we just think that Espérance de Tunis might be the side to opt for. They have been runners up three times since 2000 but won in 2011 and we’re backing them for a third CAF Champions League trophy.