The current CAF Confederation Cup Quarterfinal was drawn on Wednesday in Cairo, pitting Nigeria’s last remaining team on the continent, Rivers United, against the defending champions, USM Alger.
Dreams FC of Ghana and Rivers United advanced to the quarterfinals from Group C. The other clubs in the group were APC Lobito of Angola and Club Africaine of Tunisia.
The competition’s four champions—USM Alger, RS Berkane, Stade Malien, and RS Berkane—avoided one another in the quarterfinals of Tuesday’s draw, which generated some intriguing results.
The opening match of the Quarter-Finals features an Egyptian derby between Modern Future and Zamalek, the 2019 champions who have been waiting for a continental crown since. This match will likely determine the draw outcome.
Libya’s Abu Salem will have an uphill battle against Morocco’s RS Berkane, the two-time winners looking for a third regional title after victories in 2020 and 2022, in the second quarterfinal.
It will be a difficult assignment for Rivers United because they take on USM Alger, the defending champions who not only won the championship the previous year but also defeated Al Ahly SC in the CAF Super Cup final.
Stade Malien, the 2009 edition’s winners, are back in the competition’s final stages and hoping to win a second championship when they play Ghana’s Dreams FC, who will be hoping to pull off an upset against their more favored opponent.