FAR Rabat’s road to the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2025/26 final
FAR Rabat have reached the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League final after a disciplined and resilient campaign that included the elimination of defending champions Pyramids and Moroccan rivals RS Berkane.
The Moroccan side will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the two-legged final after coming through four demanding stages of the competition.
They have played 14 matches on their way to the final, starting from the first qualifying round, and have shown one of the strongest defensive records in the tournament.
Here is a recap of how they made the final.
FIRST ROUND
v Real de Banjul (Gambia) 2-0 (a); 2-1 (h)
FAR Rabat began their campaign against Gambian side Real de Banjul and took firm control of the tie with a 2-0 away victory in the first leg.
They completed the job in the return match with a 2-1 win, advancing 4-1 on aggregate.
It was a professional opening assignment from the Moroccan side, who showed early signs of the defensive structure and away-game maturity that would later define their campaign.
SECOND ROUND
v Horoya (Guinea) 1-1 (a); 3-0 (h)
FAR were given a sterner test in the second round against Guinea’s Horoya.
The first leg ended 1-1, leaving the tie delicately balanced, but FAR produced a dominant home performance in the return match, winning 3-0 to reach the group stage 4-1 on aggregate.
The result gave them momentum heading into the league phase and confirmed their ability to manage pressure in decisive home fixtures.
GROUP STAGE
v Young Africans (Tanzania) 0-1 (a)
v Al Ahly (Egypt) 1-1 (h)
v JS Kabylie (Algeria) 0-0 (a)
v JS Kabylie 1-0 (h)
v Young Africans 1-0 (h)
v Al Ahly 0-0 (a)
FAR were drawn in a difficult Group B with Al Ahly, Young Africans and JS Kabylie.
They finished runners-up behind Al Ahly with nine points from six matches, recording two wins, three draws and one defeat, scoring three goals and conceding only two.
Their group campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Young Africans, but they responded with an important 1-1 home draw against Al Ahly.
A goalless draw away to JS Kabylie kept them in the race before back-to-back home victories over JS Kabylie and Young Africans gave them control of their qualification hopes.
They sealed their place in the knockout rounds with a 0-0 draw away to Al Ahly in Cairo, a result that underlined their defensive maturity and ability to handle high-pressure matches away from home.
QUARTER-FINAL
v Pyramids (Egypt) 1-1 (h); 2-1 (a)
FAR Rabat produced one of the biggest results of the competition by knocking out defending champions Pyramids in the quarter-finals.
After drawing the first leg 1-1 at home, they travelled to Egypt and secured a stunning 2-1 away victory to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate. CAF described the result as the elimination of the defending champions, with FAR sealing their place in the semi-finals through that away win.
It was a defining moment in their campaign and a statement result against one of the strongest sides in the competition.
SEMI-FINAL
v RS Berkane (Morocco) 2-0 (h); 0-1 (a)
The semi-final brought an all-Moroccan derby against RS Berkane.
FAR took a major step towards the final with a 2-0 victory in the first leg, a result built on control, defensive strength and efficiency in attack.
CAF noted after the match that FAR had extended their unbeaten run in the competition to eight matches and that no side had kept more clean sheets in the tournament at that stage.
Berkane won the return leg 1-0, but FAR’s first-leg advantage proved decisive as they progressed 2-1 on aggregate.
FAR Rabat now stand one step away from continental glory.
Their journey has not been built on heavy scoring, but on organisation, control and the ability to deliver in key moments. Against Sundowns, they will face one of Africa’s most experienced modern club sides, but FAR have already shown they can overcome champions, rivals and hostile away grounds.