Zamalek SC’s first football team returns to the CAF Champions League today, Friday, after a three-year absence, when it faces AS Port of Djibouti at the Cairo International Stadium in the first leg of the tournament’s preliminary round.
The winner of the Zamalek vs. AS Port Djibouti tie will face the victor of the match between Eagles du Congo and the Rwandan Army in the next round.
Zamalek’s last appearance in the CAF Champions League was during the 2022-2023 season, under the management of Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira, before the team was absent from the competition for the past three seasons.
How did Zamalek start in their last Champions League participation?
Zamalek began their journey in the last edition of the CAF Champions League they participated in, the 2022-2023 season, with a match against Chad’s Étoile Sportive in the preliminary round.
The White Knights secured a win in the first leg, played outside Egypt, with a score of 2-0, as Mahmoud Abdelrazek Shikabala opened the scoring before Ahmed Sayed Zizo added the second goal.
In the second leg, held at the Cairo International Stadium, Zamalek repeated their dominance over the Chadian team, also winning 2-0.
Ahmed Sayed Zizo scored Zamalek’s first goal, followed by Mahmoud Hamdy Al-Wensh with the second, securing the team’s advancement to the next round with a 4-0 aggregate score.
The two matches against Chad’s Étoile Sportive were Zamalek’s first two games in the last edition of the CAF Champions League they participated in, before the team was absent from the competition for the following three seasons.
Zamalek returns to the CAF Champions League this season after winning the Egyptian Premier League title last season, embarking on a new journey to compete for the continental title.
Match schedule: Zamalek vs. AS Port
Zamalek SC’s first football team will face Djibouti champions AS Port at 8:00 PM today, Friday, at the Cairo International Stadium in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.
