Stat Attack: TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup

Numbers you might not know. This week we again turn the spotlight onto the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup ahead of next week’s quarter-final draw.

6 – Six out of six! Only two clubs have emerged from the group stage of the Confederation Cup winning all of their matches. Etoile Sahel achieved the feat in 2006 with home and away victories over Tunisian compatriots Esperance plus FC St Eloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Renacimiento from Equatorial Guinea. In 2021, Morocco’s Raja Casablanca also had 100% record plus went one better by not conceding a goal in their group matches against Pyramids (Egypt), Nkana FC of Zambia and Tanzanian’s Namungo. Both Etoile and Raja went on to win the respective editions.

9 – The number of different clubs from Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Morocco and South Africa who have got through to the group phase of the Confederation Cup over the years. Nine is the most from a single nation that has got through the preliminary rounds and into the group competition. This season, CS Constantine became the ninth Algerian club in the group stage while Desportivo Lunda-Sul became the ninth from Angola and Stellenbosch the ninth from South Africa.

14 – The number of different clubs that have won the competition, starting with Ghana’s Hearts of Oak in the first edition in 2004 right through to Egyptian giants Zamalek last year. Ten of the victorious clubs have come from North African countries, led by Morocco who have had five different winners. Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien have won the competition three times, more than any other club.

123 – The number of clubs who have competed in the Confederation Cup group competition, which started with eight clubs in the first edition in 2004 but has since been increased to 16 per season. Initially, the group winners went straight to the final until 2009 when a semi-final round was introduced. Since 2017 there have been 16 clubs in the group phase and a quarter-final round. The 123 clubs have come from 33 different countries.

137 – The number of goals scored in the quarter-final stage at past Confederation Cups since the last eight was introduced in 2017. The most came in 2019 when 21 goals were scored in the four two-legged ties, in other words eight matches. The lowest number of goals was in 2022 with only nine goals in eight games.