FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Ahli v Al Hilal - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - October 5, 2024 Al Ahli fans inside the stadium REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
(Reuters) - Defending champions Al Ahly have been drawn in a difficult Group C in the pool stages of the 2024-25 African Champions League where they must negotiate South Africa's Orlando Pirates, CR Belouizdad from Algeria and Stade d'Abidjan of the Ivory Coast.
It is likely to be a tightly contested group with record 12-time winners Ahly from Egypt having not always shown their best form in the pool stages in recent years, despite lifting the trophy in four of the previous five editions.
With the top two sides in each pool advancing to the quarter-finals, Group B also looks a tight one with South African side Mamelodi Sundowns pitted against the wily Moroccan duo of Raja Casablanca and AS FAR. Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo is the fourth team in the pool.
Their compatriots Tout Puissant Mazembe, who are five-time African champions, headline Group A along with Young Africans of Tanzania, Sudan’s Al Hilal and MC Alger from Algeria.
Last year’s beaten finalists Esperance of Tunisia will expect to advance from Group D, where they face Pyramids FC from Egypt, Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca and Djoliba AC of Mali.
The group stage gets under way on the weekend of Nov. 26-27, with the final matches to be played on Jan. 17-18.
2024-25 AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW
GROUP A
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Young Africans (Tanzania)
Al Hilal (Sudan)
MC Alger (Algeria)
GROUP B
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Raja Casablanca (Morocco)
AS FAR (Morocco)
Maniema Union (DR Congo)
GROUP C
Al Ahly (Egypt)
CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Stade d'Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
GROUP D
Esperance (Tunisia)
Pyramids FC (Egypt)
Sagrada Esperanca (Angola)
Djoliba (Mali)
(Reporting by Nick Said)
