South African Thembinkosi Lorch was among the goals as Wydad Casablanca of Morocco hammered Asante Kotoko of Ghana 5-1 on Friday to reach the CAF Confederation Cup group phase.
Three-time African champions Wydad led 1-0 from the first leg of the second round qualifier and progressed 6-1 on aggregate to the November 3 mini-leagues draw in Johannesburg.
Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns forward Lorch converted a 54th-minute penalty with a cheeky chip to give his club a 3-1 lead on the night and effectively take the tie beyond Kotoko.
Full-time 🏁
— Wydad Athletic Club (@WACofficiel) October 24, 2025
Qualification confirmed 👊#DimaWydad pic.twitter.com/PaFvUkYYKT
Wydad scored twice more in the closing stages, through Oussama Zemraoui from another penalty and Mohamed Bouchouari to confirm they will be among the title favourites.
Hamza Hannouri put the Moroccan outfit ahead in the first minute, Gilbani Samba equalised and Burkinabe Stephane Aziz Ki regained the lead to give the hosts a 2-1 half-time advantage.
Aziz with the second! ⚽🔥#DimaWydad pic.twitter.com/NTztQt5TJ3
— Wydad Athletic Club (@WACofficiel) October 24, 2025
Zamalek of Egypt, who have won the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League twice, had a surprisingly narrow 1-0 win over Dekedaha of Somalia in Cairo to finish 7-0 overall winners.
After scoring six against the Somalis in the first leg last weekend, the White Knights were expected to win convincingly again.
Qualified for the group stage. ✅ #CAFCC#DimaWydad pic.twitter.com/Y7txHjSGFK
— Wydad Athletic Club (@WACofficiel) October 24, 2025
Tanzanian outfit AZAM crushed KMKM of Zanzibar 7-0 in Dar es Salaam after taking a two-goal lead into the return match.
A feature of African club football in recent seasons has been the improvement of Tanzanian clubs and the arrival of Congolese coach Florent Ibenge has boosted AZAM hopes of going far this season.