Al Ahly’s Africa Cup: Youth Uprising and a Saga of Zizo in the CAF Group Stage

Al Ahly’s Africa roster takes shape

The Danish coach Yis Turup has settled on the roster that will guide Al Ahly into the CAF Champions League group stage this season, combining seasoned performers with a new wave from the club’s academy. The aim is a deep, multi-faceted run across Africa’s premier club competition.

Walid Salah El Din, the club’s sporting director, sparked curiosity by confirming that three academy graduates were registered in the continental squad, while withholding their exact identities for the moment. The move signals a strategy to inject youth into the senior core while preserving experience alongside them.

Al Ahly advanced to the group stage by overcoming the Burundian champions in the playoff, and the team is entering the groups with a blend of familiar rivalry and fresh challenges awaiting them across the continent.

The Red Devils will compete in Group B against JS Kabylie of Algeria, the Royal Army of Morocco, and Young Africans of Tanzania, with Group A, C and D featuring a mix of North, West, and Central African clubs. The club also eyes a continental crown after last season’s semi-final exit to Sundowns, which precipitated the departure of Swiss coach Marcel Koller from the bench.

Three rising stars and the Omar Mouad speculation

The announced African squad includes three academy talents whose inclusion has generated speculation, Mohamed Zaalouk, Mohamed Refat, and Mohamed Heitham Abdel-Azim, though their exact identities remain officially undisclosed. The trio’s registration underscores the club’s intent to groom homegrown players for high-stakes continental clashes.

There has been chatter about Omar Mouad, the winger who is the son of former Ahly star Said Mouad, potentially joining the African roster or making a move abroad. Officials, however, insisted there is no truth to his inclusion in the CAF squad at this time; the focus remains on the players officially listed and cleared for the campaign.

Group draw, fixtures, and the Zizo controversy

The group-stage draw placed Al Ahly in Group B with Young Africans (Tanzania), JS Kabylie (Algeria), and AS FAR Rabat (Morocco). Group A comprises Renaissance Berkane (Morocco), Pyramids FC (Egypt), Rivers United (Nigeria), and Power Dynamos (Zambia); Group C features Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Al Hilal (Sudan), MC Alger (Algeria), and Saint Eloi Lupopo (DR Congo). Group D brings Esperance de Tunis, Simba SC (Tanzania), Petro Atlético (Angola), and Stade Malien (Mali).

Ahly’s campaign kicks off with a home match against JS Kabylie on November 22 in Cairo, followed by a trip to AS FAR Rabat on November 28.

Separately, a dispute involving crowd conduct surfaced when Al Ahly filed a complaint with the Egyptian Football Association about alleged abusive chants toward Ahmed Sayed Zizo by some Zamalek fans during the recent Egyptian Super Cup final held in Abu Dhabi. The club argued that the incident breached the competition’s ethics standards and called for disciplinary action. Zamalek responded with a counter-claim before the disciplinary committee, which eventually handed fines of 100,000 EGP to both clubs and 50,000 EGP to Zizo and to the Zamalek player Joao (Joh Banzerra) for protocol violations.

As the campaign looms, the club’s fans will be hoping the blend of youth and experience translates into a strong continental performance, while the ongoing ethics case adds a subplot that could influence the atmosphere around the group-stage battles.

Punchline time: If Ahly’s group is a kitchen, Turup’s recipe has extra spice and a dash of chaos—bon appétit, but bring your best sauce. Punchline two: If the ball isn’t going in, blame the weather—the only thing that deserves more attention than VAR in November is a good warm scarf for the bench.