The African Women’s Champions League will remain at its current eight-team format for the foreseeable future due to financial constraints, according to a senior football official. The fourth edition of the tournament, starting this Saturday in Morocco, will see Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa defend their title.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) explained that expanding the competition or adopting a 16-team structure, like the men’s tournament, is not feasible due to financial limitations. The costs of organizing home-and-away matches, as well as the extensive travel required for clubs, are too high. Meske Goshime, Caf’s head of women’s football, emphasized that African clubs lack the financial resources for such arrangements, with long travel times often taking up to 24 hours.
For now, Caf will continue with zonal qualifiers and hopes for greater engagement from member associations before considering an expansion to a 12- or 16-team final.
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