2017 CAF Champions League
| 2017 Total CAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 10 February – 5 November 2017 |
| Teams | Maximum of 69 (from Maximum of 56 associations) |
The 2017 CAF Champions League (officially the 2017 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] will be the 53rd edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 21st edition under the current CAF Champions League format.
Starting from this season, the group stage will be expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four.[2][3]
The winners of the 2017 CAF Champions League will qualify as the CAF representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2018 CAF Super Cup.[4] Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions.
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. The title holders can also enter.[4] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 69 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2017 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2011–2015 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]
| CAF Champions League | CAF Confederation Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 5 points | 4 points |
| Runner-up | 4 points | 3 points |
| Losing semi-finalists | 3 points | 2 points |
| 3rd place in groups | 2 points | 1 point |
| 4th place in groups | 1 point | 1 point |
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:
- 2015 – 5
- 2014 – 4
- 2013 – 3
- 2012 – 2
- 2011 – 1
Teams
Teams in bold receive a bye to the first round (to be confirmed after number of entries are known). The other teams enter the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2011–2015 CAF 5-Year Ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[6]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | TBA | 10–12 February 2017 | 17–19 February 2017 |
| First round | 10–12 March 2017 | 17–19 March 2017 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | TBA | 12–14 May 2017 | |
| Matchday 2 | 23–24 May 2017 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 2–4 June 2017 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 20–21 June 2017 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 31 June–2 July 2017 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 7–9 July 2017 | |||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | TBA | 8–10 September 2017 | 15–17 September 2017 |
| Semi-finals | 29 September–1 October 2017 | 13–15 October 2017 | ||
| Final | 27–29 October 2017 | 3–5 November 2017 | ||
Qualifying rounds
In the qualifying rounds, ties are played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, the away goals rule is applied, and if still level, the penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (no extra time is played).[4]
First round
The 16 winners of the first round advance to the group stage, while the 16 losers of the first round enter the Confederation Cup play-off round.
Group stage
In the group stage, the 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four. Each group is played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarter-finals.
| Tiebreakers |
|---|
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[4]
|
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the eight teams play a single-elimination tournament. Ties are played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, the away goals rule is applied, and if still level, the penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (no extra time is played).[4]
Quarter-finals
In the quarter-finals, the winners of one group play the runners-up of another group, with the group winners hosting the second leg.
Broadcasting
See also
- 2017 CAF Confederation Cup
- 2017 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2018 CAF Super Cup
References
- ↑ "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Regulations of the CAF Champions League" (PDF). Confédération Africaine de Football. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ↑ "CAF Flash Magazine: Final 2016 Orange Confederation Cup" (PDF). CAF.