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18 Top Soccer Clubs In Africa

18 Top Soccer Clubs In Africa

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Africa has some of the most incredible soccer teams (referred to as “football” for the remainder of this article) in the world, and with the FIFA Club World Cup happening in Morocco this month, we wanted to highlight its most notable football teams. Here are  Africa’s top 18 soccer clubs as listed on MTNFootball.com and Rsssf.com.

Sources: en.wikipedia.com, fifa.com

omgghana.com
omgghana.com

Al Ahly (Egypt)

Al Ahly has won six Champions League titles and was named the best club of the last century by the Confederation of African Football. The club always has Egypt’s greatest football talent, as well as purchasing some of the best foreign players such as Mohamed Aboutrika and Mohamed Barakat.

soccerway.com
soccerway.com

 

Al Hilal (Sudan)

Al Hilal caught the world’s attention when it made it to the final rounds in two of the last four African Champions League campaigns. Even though their game ticket prices are far outside the budget of the average African, their games are consistently sold out. The team landed mobile operator MTN as a sponsor and has its own stadium in Omdurman.

wikimapia.org
wikimapia.org

 

Al Ittihad (Libya)

While its merits are disputed, the team used to receive patronage from the former Libyan leader’s son, Saidi, who was himself a player. The club has made it to the semifinal rounds of the African Champions League twice, most recently more than five years ago. As far as league titles go, the team has won 16 of them.

zimbio.com
zimbio.com

Esperance (Tunisia)

Esperance has received patronage from several top figures in the country for decades. In fact, former club president Slim Chiboub is the son-in-law of an autocratic president and often solicited support for the club from his high-profile ties during his rule. The club holds several domestic honors as well as every top title throughout the continent.

KaizerChiefs2012TeamPicture600

Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)

The Kaizer Chiefs are arguably one of the most beloved teams in Africa, and recently celebrated the team’s 40th anniversary. The team was a pioneer in many ways, being the first black team to be victorious over white competitors, as well as to hire foreign players and earn sponsorship from an economy that otherwise mainly supported white teams.

tribunero.com
tribunero.com

 

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

The Sundowns receive patronage from a major South African mining magnate that has given the team more than $10 million over the last decade. The team has gone through several wealthy and high-profile sponsors, but was mostly unknown until the mid-80s when Soweto-based tycoon Zola Mahobe bought it.

allafrica.com
allafrica.com

Orlando Pirates (South Africa)

The Orlando Pirates are one of the oldest teams on the continent. Based out of Soweto, the club is run by Irvin Khoza, chairman of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup Organizing Committee. The team won the Premier Soccer League title in both 2011 and 2012, and is the only South African team ever to win the African Champions Cup in 1995. The team has enjoyed sponsorship from Vodacom as well as Standard Bank.

goal.com
goal.com

Raja Casablanca (Morocco)

The CAF Champions League introduced a new format in 1997, and after that the Raja Casablanca was the first team to win the title. It continued to win it once again, and was a runner-up in 2002. The team enjoys TV rights in Morocco, as well as generous sponsorship. Its considerable budget of 25 million euros means the team gets to import some of the world’s greatest talent and coaches.

ethiopsports.com
ethiopsports.com

 

St. Georges (Ethiopia)

This club didn’t make this list due to titles or honors, but rather because of its beloved patron, Mohamed Al Amoudi. Amoudi is a highly respected philanthropist in Ethiopia, and was named one of the world’s top 100 richest men by Forbes. Essentially, he’s one of the leaders of the Ethiopian economy. The team has a Serbian coach and has purchased several players from Uganda.

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Zamalek (Egypt)

This team is best known for its highly desirable location in Zamalek, a very wealthy suburb of Cairo on an island in the Nile River occupied almost entirely by embassies and high-end hotels. The team is Al Ahly’s arch-rival, but it has been more than 12 years since it last won the Egyptian league.

radiookapi.net
radiookapi.net

Tout Puissant Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Based out of Lubumbashi, “Les Corbeaux” (The Ravens) rakes in over 14 million euros per year. Founded in 1939 by Benedictine monks as Saint Georges FC, it was renamed and became Englebert, and with Congo’s independence in 1960, it started winning championships, claiming the African Cup of Champions consecutively in 1967 and ’68. After 18 years away they resurfaced, qualifying for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup. In 2010, they became the first African team to play in the final of the Club World Cup, losing eventually to Internazionale.

worldfootball.net
worldfootball.net

Canon Yaoundé (Cameroon)

The full name is Canon Sportif de Yaoundé Kpa Kum, and they are based out of the capital city of West African country Cameroon. Founded in 1930, they experienced a golden age of football in the 70s and 80s, winning eight Cameroonian Cups, eight National Championships, and three African Champions’ Cup. They were nicknamed “The Brazilians of Africa” during this fruitful era, and a number of them played for the national team in the 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain.

mtnfootball.com
mtnfootball.com

Hafia (Guinea)

Based out of Conakry and established in 1951, it won three titles under the name Conacry II in the 1960s. In total, it has won an impressive 15 Guinea National Championships from 1966-1985, three Guinea National Cups, and three African Cup of Champions.

equaliserblog.wordpress.com
equaliserblog.wordpress.com

JS Kabylie (Algeria)

Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie to be exact. This Algerian professional association club is situated in Tizi Ouzou, and is one of the wealthiest clubs in Africa with a budget of over 2,500,000 euros. Often called one of the best African clubs of the twentieth century, it has won (to name a few achievements): five Algerian Cups, 14 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle, 1995’s CAF Cup Winners’ Cup, and two CAF Champions League. They hold Fiat as one of their sponsors.

completesportsnigeria.com
completesportsnigeria.com

Enyimba IFC (Nigeria)

Enyimba (translated to “People’s Elephant” in Igbo) International Football Club is based in the Nigerian city of Aba; they play in the Nigerian Premier League. They were established in 1976, and in the 2000s skyrocketed to multiple victories (with government funding help), winning two African Champions League titles, six Nigerian championships, two African Super Cups, and three Federation Cups. They pull in over 10 million euros in revenue, and the Enyimba stadium is a packed house, both at home and internationally.

ghanasoccernet.com
ghanasoccernet.com

Asante Kotoko SC (Ghana)

Asante Kotoko Sporting Club is based out of Ghana’s administrative region of Ashanti, and they currently play in the Ghana Premier League. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics ranked them as the greatest African club of the 20th century, if that says anything! Originally called the Ashanti United Football Club in 1926, but changed the name to its current label in 1936 (“Kotoko” means porcupine, and is the symbol of the Ashanti nation). They have won two African Cup of Champions, 23 Ghana Premier League titles, and 12 Ghana Swag Cups.

newtimes.co.rw
newtimes.co.rw

Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia)

Etoile Sportive du Sahel is a complete sports club in Tunisia’s Sahel region, also featuring volleyball, judo, basketball, and wrestling. It is the only club in Africa to have won every single African championship. Its top scorer of all time is Habib Mougou, and its largest rivals are Esperance Sportive de Tunis, Club Africain (next slide) and Club Sportif Sfaxien.

tap.info.tn
tap.info.tn

Club Africain (Tunisia)

Also known as Ennedi Lefriqi, Club Africain is categorized as an “omnisport club,” and its football team is what carries the popularity. Competing in the Tunisian Championship, it has won 10 Tunisian League titles, and was taken down in the final of the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup by Morocco’s MAS Fez.