2025 Club World Cup news: Meet the African representatives

Four African club sides will take the field in the US as competitors in the Club World Cup with plenty of belief for causing an upset or two. 

All sides from the continent will pocket a minimum of $9.55 million in prize money with extra on offer dependent on performance on the pitch. 

Four separate nations are represented from CAF and all will be vying for a strong performance to boost the profile of African club football to a global scale. 

Here, Sports News Blitz’s Samuel Leasley introduces the four competing sides and analyses the possible wild card results they could accomplish. 

CAF: Al Ahly (Egypt)

Beginning with the most successful team on the continent, we have Egyptian champions Al Ahly who qualified via winning three out of four African Champions League titles between 2021 and 2024. 

Al Ahly have history within the old format of the CWC and have achieved a bronze medal at four separate iterations of the competition, most recently in 2023. 

The most recognisable face for European fans in the squad is former Aston Villa man Trezeguet who returned to his boyhood club following a spell at Trabzonspor. 

Al Ahly will open the tournament against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami before taking on both Palmeiras and Porto. 

The Egyptian giants are best poised to spring an upset within Group A being positioned at 2/1 odds to qualify. 

CAF: ES Tunis (Tunisia)

Qualifying via their place atop the coefficient charts as a non Champions League winner, ES Tunis face off against Conference League winners Chelsea, current Brazilian Serie A leaders Flamengo and play off match winners LAFC. 

Due to Al Ahly’s dominance of continental competition, two places were granted to Africa’s top coefficient scorers during the period 2021-2024 in which both Tunis and Mamelodi Sundowns have qualified through. 

The Tunisian champions are led by national team captain Yassine Meriah who will be looking to outperform both aforementioned sides after being knocked out of the Champions League by both sides in the last three campaigns.

Tunis have been to the CWC on three occasions, most recently in 2019, with their best finish being fifth place in both 2018 and 2019. 

Bookmakers appear to have little hope of the Tunisians springing a surprise in Group D, with odds of 8/1 for second-place qualification or 40/1 to progress as outright group winners.

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CAF: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Beaten in the 2025 Champions League final by Pyramids, Mamelodi Sundowns enter this tournament with a chip on their shoulder and no doubt ounces of motivation to perform.

Sundowns completed their eighth consecutive Premiership title in May and continue to reign as the dominant force both domestically and continentally. 

The South Africans will face off against Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense and Ulsan HD in group F. 

2016 saw the club participate in their only previous CWC campaign as they finished sixth after losing to Kashima Antlers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. 

Sundowns carry odds of 11/2 to qualify from group F alongside 25/1 odds to win it outright as the club will need to dispatch one of Fluminense or Dortmund to likely progress.   

CAF: Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco)

Wydad AC, often referred to as Wydad Casablanca, enter the CWC as winners of the 2022 Champions League dethroning Al Ahly through two Zouhair El Moutaraji goals. 

The Moroccan record champions have the unfortunate fate of being placed in Group G alongside two European clubs in the form of Manchester City and Juventus as well as 2024 Asian Champions League winners Al Ain. 

Wydad last participated in the CWC in 2022, losing in the second round on penalties to Al Hilal despite winning 1-0 until the 94th minute. 

Off the back of a poor domestic campaign, in which the club failed to qualify for the Champions League, Wydad will be looking to bounce back by avoiding potential embarrassment in their opening fixture against Erling Haaland and co. 

The club sit at 50/1 to win the group outright and 12/1 to qualify reflecting the group of death the Moroccans have been placed in. 

Summary

Outside of New Zealand’s Auckland City, the African outfits possess the largest financial disadvantage in the competition yet this could prove inconsequential in a tournament format.

Al Ahly look best poised to progress from the group stage due to the defensive frailties of Messi’s Inter Miami and the lack of a top five coefficient European side in their group. 

Whilst Tunis and Wydad have been dealt harsh opponents this competition has promise for potential surprises and it would be foolish to write off any side within this tournament as a free win.

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