Matches played 46 | Goals scored 109 (2.37 per match) | |
 | ||
Dates 10 February – 5 November 2017 Teams 55 (from 43 associations) Top scorer(s) Moayad Allafi Ephrem Guikan Saladin Said(3 goals each) | ||
The 2017 CAF Champions League (officially the 2017 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) is 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.
Contents
- Association team allocation
- Teams
- Schedule
- Qualifying rounds
- First round
- Group stage
- Knockout stage
- Quarter finals
- Top goalscorers
- References
Starting from this season, the group stage will be expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four.According to these changes the total matches to be played in the tournament will increase by 16 matches due to the extra 8 teams involved in group stage.
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. 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. 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:
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:
Teams
The following 55 teams from 43 associations entered the competition.
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 (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).
Qualifying rounds
The draw for the preliminary and first rounds was held on 21 December 2016 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
In the qualifying rounds, each tie is 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 tied, extra time is not played, and the penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).
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.
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, the eight teams play a single-elimination tournament. Each tie is 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 tied, extra time is not played, and the penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 26 & 27).
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.
Top goalscorers
Players in bold still active in competition.