No Ivorian representative will reach the group stage of the CAF competitions: ASEC Mimosas, FC San Pedro, AFAD du Plateau and CO Korhogo all fell in the second preliminary round, according to Supersport CI.
Four Ivorian clubs were involved in the CAF interclub competitions. All were eliminated in the second preliminary round, with none qualifying for the group stage, reports Supersport CI.
In the first legs, though, nothing suggested such a scenario: FC San Pedro had won 2-1, ASEC Mimosas and AFAD du Plateau had drawn 1-1, and CO Korhogo 0-0. Four matches unbeaten, then, before second legs that all went wrong.
Second legs that turned everything around
FC San Pedro lost 2-0 in Mauritania to Nouadhibou, letting slip the lead they had built in the first leg. AFAD du Plateau went down 1-0 at CS Sfaxien, and CO Korhogo lost 2-1 to AS FAR in Morocco. Three away trips, three defeats, and three qualifications thrown away along the way.
The case of ASEC Mimosas is arguably the cruellest. After a 1-1 draw in Morocco, the Abidjan side lost 2-1 at home to MAS de Fès, conceding the decisive goal in stoppage time, according to Supersport CI.
Each club still had its fate in its own hands: a one-goal lead for San Pedro, draws for ASEC, AFAD and Korhogo in the first leg. None managed to turn that position into qualification for the group stage.
A precedent dating back to 2020-2021
This wipeout recalls the 2020-2021 season, the last campaign in which no Ivorian club reached the group stages, according to the same source.
The domestic calendar is also worth noting. The Ivorian Ligue 1, officially scheduled to resume on 27 August, only restarted on 25 September. The available elements do not allow a link to be established between this delay and the eliminations.
The ranking, the stakes for the next campaign
The consequences go beyond the clubs concerned. Ivory Coast sits 11th in the CAF five-year association ranking with 30 points, ahead of Nigeria (12th, 19 points), Libya (13th, 15 points), Congo (14th, 14 points) and Zambia (15th, 13 points). The country thus keeps an 11-point lead over Nigeria, its nearest chaser.
The country has four continental places: two in the Champions League and two in the Confederation Cup.
The next continental campaign will therefore be an opportunity for Ivory Coast to rebuild its CAF ranking points, provided its clubs return to the group stage.