The 21st century started on 1st January 2001 and it will end on 31st December 2100. We are just almost 24 years into the 21st century, and many clu
The 21st century started on 1st January 2001 and it will end on 31st December 2100.
We are just almost 24 years into the 21st century, and many clubs across the continent have shown that they indeed belong to the table of men.
Per rankings made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Egyptian kings Al Ahly, as expected, are the kings of the continent in the 21st century. The Cairo giants were the first to win the CAF Champions League in the 21st Century when they won it in 2001 with Manuel Jose. They have since then won another nine ( 05,06, 08, 12,13, 20, 21, 23, 24, making it 10 in total since the beginning of the 21st century. The Red Devils have also won 8 CAF Super Cups.
Esperance, who are second, has won the competition on three occasions since 2001 (2011, 2018, 2019) and are regulars in the money zone.
TP Mazembe has won the CAF Champions League three times (2009, 2010 and 2015) and has lifted the Confederation Cup twice (2016, 2017) in the 21st century and is ranked third with 67.5 points. They have also won three CAF Super Cups since 2001 (2010, 2011, 2016).
Etoile du Sahel is ranked the 4th best team on the continent in the 21st century after winning the CAF Champions League in 2006 and the Confederation Cup in 2007.
Wydad Casablanca completes the top 5 after lifting the CAF Champions League in 2017 and 2022. Wydad also won the 2018 CAF Super Cup.
Zamalek has lifted three CAF Super Cups ( 2003, 2020, 2025), two CAF Confederation Cups (2019, 2024), and one CAF Champions League (2002) and sits 6th.
7th on the list is Raja Casablanca, who is yet to lift the CAF Champions League in the 21st century but has won one CAF Super Cup (2019) and three Confederation Cup titles ( 2003, 2018, 2021).
Mamelodi Sundowns are 8th having lifted the 2016 CAF Champions League under Pitso Mosimane. The South Africans have been regulars in the Champions League.
Al Hlilal Oumdurman is 9th on the list after enjoying themselves almost always in the money zone since 2001. The Sudanese giants have made 12th appearances in the Money Zone since 2007, and their best result was the semi-finals appearance in 2015 when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to USM Alger.
CS Sfaxien completes the Top 10 after lifting three Confederation Cup titles in 2007, 2008 and 2013. Sfaxien reached the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League in 2014 losing 4-2 on aggregate to AS Vita Club.
Check out the top 10 teams and the points they have accrued so far
1. Al Ahly — 121 (points) 🇪🇬
2. ES Tunis — 72 🇹🇳
3. TP Mazembe — 67.5 🇨🇩
4. Etoile du Sahel — 59 🇹🇳
5. Wydad Athletic Club —51 🇲🇦
6. Zamalek SC — 46 🇪🇬
7. Raja Club Athletic — 38 🇲🇦
8. Mamelodi Sundowns — 37 🇿🇦
9. Al Hilal — 32.5 🇸🇩
10. CS Sfaxien — 31 🇹🇳
Per the top 10 rankings, Tunisian clubs have been the best so far because they have three teams on the list.
Egypt and Morocco each have two, while DR Congo, South Africa and Sudan complete the list.
Criteria for the rankings are explained.
** The Confederation of African Football (CAF) ranked the clubs based on their performance in CAF club competitions over the last 23-year period.
The ranking system uses a point system and a coefficient to weight points based on each year of performance.
Points
The ranking system uses points from the Total Energies Champions League and the Total CAF Confederation Cup.
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