Egypt has been confirmed as the venue for this year’s African Women’s Champions League tournament, where Mamelodi Sundowns will be looking to secure the continental title for a third time.
The Confederation of African Football on Monday said the tournament would take place in Egypt from November 1-15.
It is an eight-team tournament, made up of the winners of the zonal competitions.
Sundowns won the Cosafa tournament in Gaborone in August to qualify for the latest edition of the Champions League after they defeated ZESCO Ndola Girls 2-1 in the final to claim a third regional title.
Two goals from Golden Boot winner Refilwe Tholakele, one from the penalty spot, sealed the victory as Sundowns added to their 2021 and 2023 Cosafa titles. On both of those previous occasions, they went on to win the continental crown.
Other teams also competing in Egypt will be defending African champions Royal Armed Forces from Morocco, plus compatriots FUS Rabat, as well as Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim, Cameroon’s Lekie FF and Mali’s USFAS.
The final two spots will be filled by the representative from the WAFU Zone B region and the club representing Egypt, which will be hosting the event for a third time.
The winner of the African Women’s Champions League will go on to play in FIFA’s Women’s Champions Cup at the end of the year.
The African champions have been drawn to play Asian champions Naegohyang Women’s FC of China or Oceanian representatives Auckland United, who have a playoff match on Sunday at the Shangcheng Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China.
The clash with the African champions will be in December (date and venue to be announced) and the winner of that tie advances to the final stage in Miami, Florida, in January.
It is the second edition of the Women’s Champions Cup, and the final four, slated for late January at the recently opened Nu Stadium, home of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, will also feature FC Barcelona Femení, Club América Femenil and the winner of this month’s CONMEBOL Libertadores Femenina, which is the top South American competition
The inaugural edition of the Women’s Champions Cup saw Arsenal Women FC defeat SC Corinthians in a spectacular extra-time final played before more than 25 000 fans in London in February.
The Women’s Champions Cup will be staged in years when there is no Women’s Club World Cup, which will debut in early 2028.