Favourable CAF Champions League draw for 11-time winners Ahly
African club giants Al Ahly of Egypt should experience little difficulty reaching the group stage of the CAF Champions League after receiving a favourable qualifying draw on Tuesday.
The Cairo Red Devils, winners of the premier continental competition a record 11 times, will launch their title defence in September against KMKM of Zanzibar or Saint George of Ethiopia.
KMKM made preliminary-round exits in all five previous appearances while the Saints reached the mini-league phase just once in 15 attempts, and then won just one of six matches.
Boosted by a succession of star performances from South African Percy Tau, Ahly defeated Wydad Casablanca of Morocco 3-2 on aggregate in the 2023 title decider.
Tau and Egyptians Mahmoud Kahraba and Hussein el Shahat between them contributed 15 of the 27 goals Ahly scored in a 14-match passage to glory.
Ahly were among 12 winners of the competition included in the 54-club preliminary and last-32 draws, made in Cairo.
Debutants Pyramids, a club transformed by Saudi and Emirati petro dollars, are the other Egyptian representatives and also look good for a place in the groups draw.
They face experienced but limited African campaigners APR of Rwanda or newcomers Gaadiidka of Somalia and success for the Cairo outfit seems almost inevitable.
Egyptian clubs have won the Champions League, and its forerunner the African Cup of Champions Clubs, a record 17 times since the inaugural edition in 1964.
WYDAD BOLSTER SQUAD
Next come Morocco with seven successes, including three by Wydad, who will expect to overcome once-mighty Hafia of Guinea or academy club Generation Foot of Senegal.
Wydad have bolstered their squad by signing two Algerians – defender Ilyes Chetti from Angers and
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