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Simba’s rivals in AFL to be revealed tomorrow

Simba players in a group photo

What you need to know:

  • The Msimbazi Street giants are the only team from the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Zone in the inaugural competition.

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s envoys in the African Football League (AFL), Simba SC, are going to know their rivals tomorrow from 6pm Tanzanian time.

The draw will be streamed live on the AFL website and televised by the CAF’s broadcast partners.

The Msimbazi Street giants are the only team from the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Zone in the inaugural competition.

The team have qualified for the tournament after being ranked among the top eight teams that have scored many points in the continental club championship rankings.

Apart from Simba, other clubs are Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC, Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis and Wydad Club Athletic of Morocco, all from the Northern Region. The clubs from the Central-West Region are Nigeria’s Enyimba and the DRC’s TP Mazembe.

Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Angola’s Petro Atletico do Luanda and Tanzania’s Simba SC are the football clubs from the South-East Region.

The inaugural competition is designed to showcase the best of African club football and provide football fans in Africa and around the world with the opportunity to view and enjoy the very best of the beautiful game on the African continent.

The AFL is a partnership between CAF and Fifa. The Inaugural edition of the AFL will feature 8 of Africa’s most famous and successful teams from the three African Regional Blocks which are: the North Region, the Central-West Region and the South-East Region.

The fixtures of the AFL are structured on a home and away basis. The competition starts with knock-out quarter finals and will be followed by the semi-finals and the final; all of which are played over two legs.

This historic inaugural edition of the AFL will take place over four weeks, kicking off with the opening ceremony and the first match on 20 October 2023 in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

The semis will take place between October 29 and November 1. The final matches which will determine the winners of the Inaugural AFL competition will take place on November 5 and 11.

The inaugural AFL is a precursor to the fully-fledged AFL competition which will feature the 24 highest ranked football clubs on the African continent and will commence during the 2024/2025 football season.

Fans of football around the world can keep up to date with the latest news and information on the most exciting club football competition in Africa via the AFL website, as well as social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).

The AFL website will also offer live Over-The-Top (“OTT”) access to the draw and all AFL matches as well as supporting feature content to keep fans engaged throughout the entire competition from 3 September 2023 onwards.