2018–19 CAF Champions League
| 2018–19 Total CAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 27 November 2018 – 1 June 2019 |
| Teams | Maximum 68 (from Maximum 56 associations) |
The 2018–19 CAF Champions League (officially the 2018–19 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] will be the 55th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 23rd edition under the current CAF Champions League format.
This season will follow a transitional calendar which allows the CAF club competitions to switch from a February-to-November schedule to an August–to-May schedule, as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017.[2] It will start in December 2018, right after the 2018 season has finished, and end in May 2019, before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (which has been switched from January/February to June/July). The next season will then start after the Africa Cup of Nations and follow the new calendar.[3]
The winners of the 2018–19 CAF Champions League will earn the right to play against the winners of the 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2019 CAF Super Cup.[4]
Association team allocation
All 56 CAF member associations may enter the CAF Champions League, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to their CAF 5-Year Ranking eligible to enter two teams in the competition.[4] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2018–19 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2013–2017 CAF 5-Year Ranking, which calculates points for each entrant association based on their clubs’ performance over those 5 years in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The criteria for points are the following:[5][6][7]
| CAF Champions League | CAF Confederation Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 6 points | 5 points |
| Runners-up | 5 points | 4 points |
| Losing semi-finalists | 4 points | 3 points |
| Losing quarter-finalists (from 2017) | 3 points | 2 points |
| 3rd place in groups | 2 points | 1 point |
| 4th place in groups | 1 point | 0.5 point |
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:
- 2017 – 5
- 2016 – 4
- 2015 – 3
- 2014 – 2
- 2013 – 1
Teams
Associations are shown according to their 2013–2017 CAF 5-Year Ranking (to be confirmed by CAF) – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.
For this season, the title holders receive a bye to the group stage.[8]
- Notes
- ^ Title holders (TH): The association of the title holders is not allowed to enter more than the eligible number of teams according to the CAF 5-Year Ranking. As a result, if the title holders do not qualify through their domestic competitions but choose to defend their title, they will replace a team from their association, either the league champions if the association is eligible to enter one team, or the league runners-up if the association is eligible to enter two teams (Regulations IV. 5).[4]
- ^ Mali (MLI): Mali were represented by Stade Malien, the 2018 Malian Cup winners, as the league was not played in 2018.[9]
- ^ Nigeria (NGA): Nigeria were represented by Lobi Stars, the 2018 Nigeria Professional Football League leaders after 24 rounds when the league was suspended, following a decision by the Nigeria Professional Football League.[10]
- ^ Sierra Leone (SLE): The Sierra Leone Football Association is currently suspended by FIFA (as of October 2018).[11]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[8]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | TBC 2018 | 27–28 November 2018 | 4–5 December 2018 |
| First round | 14–16 December 2018 | 21–23 December 2018 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 December 2018 | 11–13 January 2019 | |
| Matchday 2 | 18–20 January 2019 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 1–3 February 2019 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 12–13 February 2019 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 8–10 March 2019 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 15–17 March 2019 | |||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 20 March 2019 | 5–7 April 2019 | 12–14 April 2019 |
| Semi-finals | 26–28 April 2019 | 3–5 May 2019 | ||
| Final | 24–25 May 2019 | 31 May – 1 June 2019 | ||
See also
References
- ↑ "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
- ↑ "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". CAF. 20 July 2017.
- ↑ "Change in dates for Caf club competitions will begin in 2018". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017.
- 1 2 3 "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- ↑ "16 Clubs for Group Phase of CC and CL effective 2017". CAF. 11 May 2016.
- ↑ "New adopted format for Club Competitions". CAF. 30 May 2016.
- ↑ "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- 1 2 "Interclubs competition calendar; seasons 2018/19, 2019/20 & 2020/21" (PDF). CAF.
- ↑ "Les différents représentants connus dans quelques jours". footmali.com. 27 September 2018.
- ↑ "League Management Company Public Statement After Consultative Meeting With Club Owners & Representatives". NPFL. 31 August 2018.
- ↑ "FIFA suspends the Sierra Leone Football Association". FIFA.com. 5 October 2018.