CAF Women’s Champions League: FC Masar and FUS Rabat set for North African clash in search of first win
FC Masar and FUS Rabat both opened their campaigns with goalless draws against Mamelodi Sundowns and Lekié FF respectively.
The two North African sides head into the second matchday of the CAF Women’s Champions League with one point each.
The encounter will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the continental competition.
The second matchday of the CAF Women’s Champions League group stage gets underway on Wednesday with a North African encounter between Egypt's FC Masar and Morocco's FUS Rabat at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
The two teams began their respective campaigns with goalless draws. FC Masar were held by Mamelodi Sundowns (0-0), while FUS Rabat were unable to find a breakthrough against Lekié FF (0-0). With one point apiece, both sides understand that victory would provide a significant boost to their ambitions of reaching the semi-finals.
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in the continental competition. It will also be only the third time in the tournament's history that an Egyptian club has faced a Moroccan opponent. The two previous encounters were between FC Masar and AS FAR.
FC Masar look to maintain unbeaten record
FC Masar head into their second match with some encouraging statistics. The Egyptian side are unbeaten in their last seven group-stage matches in the continental finals, recording three victories and four draws. They have also yet to concede a goal in their opening two matches of the current tournament.
The Egyptian club have recorded four goalless draws in the history of the competition, more than any other team. Since making their debut in 2024, FC Masar have registered at least one 0-0 draw in every edition, recording two in 2024 and one in 2025.
FC Masar have also remained unbeaten in their opening two matches of each of their previous tournament campaigns. In 2024, they defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 before drawing 0-0 with Edo Queens. The following year, they drew 0-0 with AS FAR before recording an emphatic 5-0 victory over FC 15 de Agosto.
Despite their defensive resilience, the Egyptian side are currently experiencing a difficult run of results. They have recorded just one victory in their last eight matches in the competition, alongside four draws and three defeats. They are also on a four-match winless run, stretching from the 2025 edition into the current tournament, with two draws and two defeats.
In their opening match against the South African side, FC Masar struggled to impose themselves in possession, managing just 30 per cent of the ball and completing 122 passes. They failed to register a shot on target.
However, goalkeeper Habiba Sabri played a decisive role, making four saves to preserve her clean sheet. It was the sixth time she had kept a clean sheet in 11 appearances in the continental finals.
Sabri had also kept clean sheets in FC Masar's two previous encounters against Mamelodi Sundowns and will once again be an important figure when the Egyptian side face FUS Rabat.
FUS Rabat target historic first victory
Making their debut in the competition, FUS Rabat began their campaign with a goalless draw against Lekié FF.
The result made the Moroccan club only the second representative from their country to finish their opening match in the continental finals with a draw, following Sporting Casablanca, who played out a 1-1 draw against Atlético Abidjan in 2023.
FUS Rabat also joined AS FAR as one of the Moroccan clubs to keep a clean sheet in their opening match of the competition. AS FAR had previously achieved the feat with a 3-0 victory over Rivers Angels in the 2021 edition.
However, the historical statistics present a challenge for Moroccan clubs. No Moroccan team making its debut in the competition has managed to avoid defeat in both of its first two group-stage matches. AS FAR recorded one victory and one defeat in 2021, while Sporting Casablanca drew their opening match before suffering defeat in 2023.
Against Lekié FF, FUS Rabat managed two shots on target, both coming in the first half. The Moroccan side also recorded eight touches inside the opposition penalty area, seven of them before half-time, and delivered eight crosses, only one of which found its intended target.
Goalkeeper Hasnae Ouhatte delivered an impressive performance, making five saves and recording a 100 per cent save success rate. The Moroccan goalkeeper will once again be central to her team's hopes against FC Masar, who will be equally determined to return to winning ways.