Mamelodi Sundowns, FAR Rabat and Zamalek SC all secured crucial first-leg advantage in their respective CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup semis ties this weekend, while USM Alger and Olympique Club de Safi played out a tense stalemate.
But it is far from over. The battle for a place in the final will move to this weekend in Africa’s premier club competition.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns produced a disciplined away performance to defeat Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis 1-0 in Rades, placing them firmly in control ahead of the return leg in Pretoria on Saturday (kick-off 13h00 GMT). Brayan Leon scored the only goal of the game for Sundowns.
Elsewhere, Morocco’s FAR Rabat took a significant step towards the final with a commanding 2-0 victory over RS Berkane in an all-Moroccan semi-final in Rabat. Second-half strikes from Ahmed Hammoudan and Khalid Ait Ourkhan handed the Royal Army a strong advantage, leaving Berkane with a challenging task in the return leg on Saturday (19h00 GMT).
In the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, Egypt’s Zamalek SC secured a vital 1-0 away win over Algeria’s CR Belouizdad in Algiers. Juan Bezerra’s first-half goal proved enough to separate the sides, with Zamalek demonstrating resilience under pressure to take a slender but important lead back to Cairo for the second leg on Friday (16h00 GMT).
The second semi-final between USM Alger and Olympique Club de Safi ended in a goalless draw in Algiers, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in Morocco on Sunday (19h00 GMT).
The TotalEnergies CAF Interclub competitions continue to grow in stature, with a record total prize money of $48 million allocated for this season. The winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League will receive a record $6 million, underlining the competition’s increasing global significance and commercial strength.
The winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup will also receive record prize money in that competition of $4 million
CAF Champions League 2025/26 – Semi-final Fixtures (Second Leg, all times GMT)
RS Berkane (Morocco) vs AS FAR (Morocco)
Saturday, 18 April 2026
Kick-off: 19h00
Venue: Berkane
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)
Saturday, 18 April 2026
Kick-off: 13h00
Venue: Pretoria
CAF Confederation Cup 2025/26 – Semi-final Fixtures (Second Leg, all times GMT)
Zamalek SC (Egypt) vs CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
Friday, 17 April 2026
Kick-off: 16h00
Venue: Cairo
Olympique Club de Safi (Morocco) vs USM Alger (Algeria)
Sunday, 19 April 2026
Kick-off: 19h00
Venue: Safi
For more on the TotalEnergies CAF Interclub competitions, visit www.cafonline.com.
