Tanzania giants to know rivals in Champions League today

Dar es Salaam. Heavyweights in the country, Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga) and Simba Sports Club, are poised to know their rivals in the CAF Champions League today.

The draw, according to the African football governing body (CAF), is scheduled for 2pm and will feature 16 teams that will be divided into four groups with four teams each.

Yanga, who are placed in pot three (3), and Simba in pot two (2), will contend with strong rivals as pot one (1) has big guns, including the defending champions Al Ahly of Egypt, Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco), Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia), and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

Pot two has Pyramids FC of Egypt, Petro Luanda (Angola), and CR Belouizdad of Algeria. Yanga will be joined by TP Mazembe of the DR Congo, Al Hilal (Sudan), and Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast.

Pot four includes Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia, Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania), and Medeama FC of Ghana.

These teams have been seeded based on their performances in the CAF competitions over the past five seasons, with the CAF’s five-year ranking points indicated next to each team. Each group will consist of one team from Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4, and each team will be positioned within their group based on their respective pots.

Notably, there are no restrictions on teams from the same country facing each other, as long as the football governing body of their country does not have more than two teams in the group. This aligns with Article 17 of Rule 3 of the African Champions League competition.

This surely increases pressure on the fans of the traditional arch-rivals, with the possibility of both teams being drawn in the same group.

While not unprecedented, it's worth noting that teams from the same country have frequently met at this stage in previous seasons. Since the introduction of the group stage in the African Champions League in 1998, there have been 10 seasons in which teams from the same country have contested matches at this stage.

Sudan and Egypt hold the record for their clubs meeting most frequently in the group stage, with Sudanese teams Al Hilal and Al Merrikh facing each other three times in the 2021/2022, 2017, and 2009 seasons, while Egyptian teams did the same in the 2012, 2010, and 2008 seasons.

By advancing to the group stage, each team is assured of receiving U$700,000 (approximately Sh1.8 billion).

In the previous season, Yanga reached the final of the CAF Confederation Cup against USM Alger of Algeria, narrowly losing on away goals. Yanga were defeated 2-1 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam but secured a 1-0 victory in Algiers.

Yanga have successfully navigated into the group stage of the tournament twice, in 2016 (top eight) and 2018 (top 16 teams), respectively.

On the other hand, Simba were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League by Wydad Club Athletic of Morocco on 4-3 penalty shootouts after recording a 1-0 victory at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium and being defeated 1-0 in the return leg in Casablanca.

However, Simba boast an impressive record in the tournament, having reached the stage for the third time since their inaugural qualification in 2003.

The Reds of Msimbazi, as they are popularly known by their fans, secured qualification in 2018–2019, 2020–2021, and 2022–2023.

Additionally, they advanced to the stage of the African Confederation Cup in the 2020–2021 season.