The idea for the African Super League brings mixed emotions to the football fans in Africa. Many people look at it as the only way forward, while some would like to stick to the established traditions. The supporters of the second theory are mostly against modern football where money and politics play a vital role. However, there are some people who just want to be entertained by watching a tough competition where only the best teams on the continent will participate.
The discussion about the African Super League has just started recently as most teams showed their interest in joining. However, the organizations will further talk about this idea, but we can have a look at how everything might look. Here is a list of 20 teams that can be a part of the first ever African Super League:
Al Ahly SC (Egypt)
Al Ahly is, without a doubt, the best team Africa has ever produced. They have a record of 42 Egyptian Premier League titles, 10 CAF Champions League trophies and were voted the best African team of the XX century. Worldwide, the team’s trophies’ cabinet is only smaller than the one of Real Madrid who are considered to be the greatest team of all time. Hence, there cannot be an African Super League without Al Ahly.
Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa)
Mamelodi Sundowns is placed second behind Al Ahly in the official African club rankings. The team has won CAF Champions League in 2016, and have finished in top 2 in South Africa for eight straight years. They have won 11 domestic titles, all of which came in the last 25 years. The team plays an attacking football which further contributes for the football development in Africa. A fantastic playing style and some recent achievements surely book them a place in the African Super League.
El Zamalek (Egypt)
El Zamalek is the second most successful team in Egypt, winning 13 domestic titles, 5 CAF Champions League trophies, and won the Egypt Cup 27 times. However, they haven’ won a Champions League since 2002 which puts them in a tight spot. The team looks strong, but they will need to further cement their legacy internationally.
Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia)
Esperance de Tunis is another moderately old team with history dating back to 1919. The team has won a total of 52 domestic titles, including 31 times the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1. They are the best Tunisian team internationally as they won the CAF Champions League 4 times in their history. Esperance de Tunis also has an Afro-Asian Club Championship from 1995 and a CAF Super Cup from the same year.
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
TP Mazembe is another team with great traditions in Africa, having won its domestic title a record 19 times and standing in 2nd place in the rankings for most titles in the CAF Champions League winning it 5 times in their history. The Congolese team managed to do the unthinkable in 2010, when they consecutively eliminated Pachuca from Mexico and Internacional from Brazil to become the first African finalist in the FIFA Club World Cup. They eventually lost 3-0 to Inter in the final, but their achievement will last for eternity.
Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
Notoriously known for their frenetic fans, Wydad Casablanca has won 62 national titles, including a record of 21 Moroccan Premier League trophies. “The Emperor” as they are known in Morocco, enjoyed a fantastic decade of the 2010s. The team managed to win the CAF Champions League in 2017 and the CAF Super Cup in 2018. WAC is a well-renowned team in Africa and definitely deserves its place among the best on the continent.
RCA Raja Casablanca Athletic (Morocco)
Raja Casablanca is the second best team in Morocco when it comes to historical achievements. The team has won the Botola 12 times and holds the record for most titles won by a Moroccan team in the CAF Champions League. Winning it three times (1989, 1997, 1999) puts them in 5th place in the overall standings. Raja CA also have taken part in the CAF Confederations Cup recently as they managed to win it in 3 out of the last 4 years.
JS Kabylie (Algeria)
JS Kabylie is without a doubt the best team in Algeria when it comes to achievements. The team might be struggling in recent years, but they have managed to grab the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 title a record 14 times. Their last 1st place finish came at 2007-08 season and since then they have just won two domestic trophies. In 2010-11, JS Kabylie won their last Algerian Cup, while in 2021, the Canary won the first Algerian League Cup in this century, since the tournament has been put in the calendar for the first time since 1999.
Entente de Setif (Algeria)
ES Setif one of the best teams in Algeria, having won the domestic Premier League 8 times and the CAF Champions League twice (1988, 2014). The team shows consistency throughout the years as they have achieved a lot in their 63 years of history. The “Black Eagles” were also runners-up in the CAF Confederations Cup from 2009 and reached the semi-finals of the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1991.
Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)
Primeiro de Agosto is the highest ranked Angolan team in the FIFA Club Rankings. They have won the domestic title 13 times and reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League in 2018. Primeiro de Agosto is the most successful team in Angola for the 21st century so far and they are looking to further build on this performance.
Al Hilal Omdurman (Sudan)
Al-Hilal Club holds the record for most titles in Sudan with 28 Premier League trophies to their name. They have made 35 appearances in the CAF Champions League and they have mostly reached the semi-finals five times, most of which came between 2007 and 2015. The Sudanese team strives for perfection as they are still looking to make their second International final in their history, after being runner-up in the 2001 Arab Cup Winners’ Cup.
Simba SC (Tanzania)
Simba SC is the most famous team in Tanzania with 22 Tanzania Premier League titles. They managed to reach the CAF Cup Final in 1993. Simba SC is the most successful team in Kagame Interclub Cup which is a tournament between clubs from East and Central Africa. They have won the title 6 times with the last one dating back from 2002. On top of that, they have shown their progress by reaching the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League twice in recent years (2019, 2021).
Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Orlando Pirates might not be the most famous team in South Africa, but they still have fantastic domestic and international achievements. The team has won the South African Premier Soccer League 4 times. Moreover, the Pirates became champions of the CAF Champions League in 1995. In 2013, their tried to repeat their achievement, but came up short in the final against the Egyptian, Al-Ahly. Two years later, Orlando found themselves in another international final. This time they were up against Etoile du Sahel in the deciding match for the CAF Confederation Cup which they eventually lost.
Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)
Kaizer Chiefs is tied on second place with most South African Premier Soccer League titles with Orlando Pirates as both share 4 trophies. Established in 1970, the team from Naturena has a total of 13 domestic titles. They won the National Soccer League a record 3 times (1989, 1991, 1992), and also hold the record for most titles in the National Professional Soccer League, winning it 6 times in the span of 10 years. The football in South Africa planted its seeds and the results will come soon.
Asante Kotoko (Ghana)
Asante Kotoko is one of the most prominent football names on the African continent. Although they are yet to make their breakthrough in the CAF Champions League, the team is 6th in the CAF overall rankings of African clubs for XXI century. The Porcupine Warriors have won the Ghana Premier League a record 24 times in their history. However, they seem to be struggling recently as Hearts of Oak managed to close the gap between themselves and Asante Kotoko in the race for the first place in Ghana.
Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
Etoile du Sahel is yet another Tunisian team that makes our list. Considered to be one of the best club in Tunisia, they have won the Domestic League a total of 10 times. Moreover, the Red & White has 10 Tunisian Cup titles and 3 Tunisian Super Cups. The team has also managed to clinch the most decorated trophy in Africa, CAF Champions League, in 2007 which granted them a place in the FIFA Club World Cup. There, Etoile du Sahel became the second team after Al-Ahly SC to reach the semi-finals of this international tournament. Finishing 4th in the entire contest brought even more interest not only in their home country, but also worldwide.
AS Vita Club (DR Congo)
The Congolese team, AS Vita Club, holds 7th place in the African FIFA Club Rankings. They have won the Linafoot 14 times and the Congo Cup 9 times. The Black Dolphins also managed to grab a CAF Champions League title back in 1973. Since then, they have reached the final twice (1981, 2014), but they didn’t succeed in finishing the job. AS Vita Club was also a finalist in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2018, losing to Raja Casablanca in a thoroughly intense final. The team surely deserves its place in the African Super League.
Horoya (Guinea)
Founded in 1975, Horoya FC from Guinea shows a fantastic progress in recent years. They hold the record for winning the domestic title with their 18 trophies. Moreover, they are dominating in the other domestic tournaments, adding 13 more titles to their cabinet. In 2018-19, they achieved their greatest success internationally reaching the quarter-finals in the CAF Champions League. They even fought well against Al-Ahly SC as the first leg finished 0-0 in Conakry. The team also have a trophy from the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup from 1978.
ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire)
ASEC Mimosas is the most successful team in the Ivorian football, having won the domestic League title 24 times. They were also winners of the CAF Champions League back in 1998, defeating Dynamos Harare from Zimbabwe in the final. The “Yellow and Blacks” produced some of the greatest football prospects for Cote d’Ivoire. Emmanuel Eboue, Salomon Kalou, Gervinho, Didier Zokora, and Boubacar Barry are just a couple of names that started off their career in the legendary ASEC Mimosas.
Enyimba (Nigeria)
For its 45 years of history, Enyimba can show up with plenty of achievements. The team has won the Nigerian Premier League a record 8 times, all of which came after 2000. They had their Renaissance around 2005 when they managed to grab two consecutive CAF Champions League trophies. They won the tournament in 2003 and 2004, which later gave them the opportunity to fight for the CAF Super Cup. The Aba Warriors also won these games and conquered Africa for just a couple of months. Although some rough times followed these achievements, it seems that Enyimba is slowly coming back on the right track.
