Zamalek defeats Arch rivals Ahly, to clinch 2024 CAF Super Cup

Zamalek defeated arch rivals Al Ahly on penalties to claim the 2024 CAF Super Cup, with the showpiece match played at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday evening.

This was the 33rd Super Cup, a one-off match pitting the Champions League winners against the Confederation Cup winners. First played in 1993, when Africa Sports of Ivory Coast defeated Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, the Super Cup is a highlight of the African club competition calendar.

With this triumph, Zamalek have won a fifth CAF Super Cup title, and a first since 2020. This is also a record-extending 13th Super Cup win for a club from Egypt.

The match ended 1-1 after regulation time, with Wessam About Ali putting Ahly ahead in the 44th minute, but Nasr Mansi levelled with less than a quarter hour remaining to send the game to spot kicks.

The Red Eagles lost their nerve in the shootout, missing two kicks, while the White Knights finished all four of theirs to claim a 4-3 triumph.

Ahly will also be in action as African representatives in the first FIFA Intercontinental Cup (a new version of the old Club World Cup) when they face UAE’s Al Ain in Cairo on October 29.

Before then, both the Red Eagles and the White Knights will keep a close eye on the draws for the group stage of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup respectively – set to be held on Monday 7 October.