2025 CWC: A football classroom for African clubs

Going by Richie Norton’s disposition, “Every sunset is an opportunity to reset”, it is time to reset the goals for all four African teams that exited the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) at the group stages.

Of the 12 games played by African clubs, there were two wins, three draws and seven defeats, with 11 goals scored and 23 conceded.

A breakdown of the teams’ performances shows Al-Ahly of Egypt finishing fourth in Group A, with two points recording two draws, one loss and no win.

The scored four goals and conceded six, the team played goalless draw with Inter Miami in the tournament opener, they missed a penalty and spurned several other golden chances.

Against Palmeiras of Brazil, Al-Ahly were beaten 2-0 but led three times against FC Porto before settling for a 4-4 draw in one of the games of the group stages. They ended at the bottom of Group A for they failure to take their chances.

Esperance of Tunisia finished third in Group D, winning one game and losing two, recording a total of three points scoring one goal and conceding five.

The Tunisian side picked up a win in their game against Los Angelese FC in Nashville, but squandered their chances as they were beaten by Flamengo from Brazil and Chelsea FC in their other two fixtures by 2-0 and 3-0 respectively.

Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa finished third in Group F with four points, winning one, losing one and drawing one.

The South African team was the best African side on show and won a lot of admirers for their attacking style of play and entertaining brand of football.

Sundowns were held to a 0-0 draw in their final group game by Fluminense of Brazil, despite being the better team on the day.

Wydad Casablanca of Morocco finished fourth in Group G haven lost all their group games, scoring two goals and conceding eight.

They lost 2-0 to Manchester City in their opener, before a tough 4-1 defeat to Juventus in the second pool game. In their last group game against Al Ain from UAE, Wydad failed to hold on to their lead as the game ended 2-1 in the favour of Al Ain.

Take home

The African best four clubs who are giants in their domestic leagues, were punished for minor error, which emphasises a crucial lesson: at the elite level there is no margin for error.

For instance, in the game between Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund, the South African club started well, scoring early and dominating possession.

However, they were trailing 3–1 by the end of the first half, not because the German club outplayed them, but because of spontaneous errors, the goals were handed over through lapses in concentration and poor decision-making.

Wydad Casablanca on their part displayed tactical confusion which Manchester City cashed on and ripped the team to the shame of Moroccan club coach.

It was obvious that the African teams were not prepared for the tournament because most of the teams came with new coaches who were trying to find their feet; Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Wydad Casablanca all entered the competition with newly appointed coaches.

Had these teams stuck with the coaches who started the journey, they might have arrived at the Club World Cup more settled, cohesive, and competitive.

The curtain might have fallen on the African clubs at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup, the performances of the teams told a different story; one of resilience, growth, and undeniable potential.

The future of African club football is bright if the various club managements would learn from the errors of the 2025 edition.

African fans will not but wish the best team wins among the following; Palmeiras, Fluminense, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich.

Others include Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, and Al-Hilal Saudi FC.