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Bo Rangers face San Pedro as EE Lions meet ASC Jaraaf
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Bo Rangers face San Pedro as EE Lions meet ASC Jaraaf

Sierra Leone’s East End Lions and Bo Rangers will play West African teams in the Caf Confederation Cup and Caf Champions League in August.

Get ready for an exciting match-up as the Sierra Leone Champions Bo Rangers take on the Ivorian side San Pedro in the preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League.

Mark your calendars for the matches scheduled between the 16th and 18th of August, with a thrilling trip to Ivory Coast the following weekend.

Under the guidance of Coach John Keister, the team aims to continue their winning streak and advance to the group stages of the prominent inter-club competition in Africa.

The winner between Rangers and San Pedro will face the winner between Al Hilal of Sudan and Libya 2 in the second round of the competition in September.

In the last competition’s second round, they were knocked out by Algerian team CR Belouizdad with a 6-2 aggregate score over two matches.

In the upcoming CAF Confederation Cup, East End Lions will be facing off against ASC Jaraaf from Senegal in the initial stage of the 2024/2025 Inter-club competition.

The first match will be hosted by The Killers from the 16th to the 18th of August, followed by a trip to Senegal to compete against Association Sportive et Culturelle Jaraaf the following weekend.

The victor between Union Touarga Sportif (UTS) or Racing Club d’Abidjan will confront the winner of East End Lions or ASC Jaraaf in the second-round qualifiers.

The CAF Interclub men’s competitions are gaining popularity in African club football, drawing larger global TV audiences due to the increasing quality of African football.

In the previous season, reigning champions Al Ahly SC extended their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title to a record-extending 12, while their arch-rivals Zamalek were crowned champions of the CAF Confederation Cup for the second time.

Full CAF Champions League first and second-round draws in the preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub competition.
Full CAF Champions League first and second-round draws in the preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub competition.
Full CAF Confederation Cup Draw in the first round preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub competition.
Full CAF Confederation Cup Draw in the first round preliminary stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub competition.
Southern Province side Bo Rangers have been placed in Pot three ahead of the draw of the Preliminary Stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone Champions Rangers in Pot 3 ahead of CAF CL draw

Southern Province side Bo Rangers have been placed in Pot three ahead of the draw of the Preliminary Stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Having won the Sierra Leone title back-back, coach John Keister’s team will now set their sight to make the group stages of the top-tier Inter club competition in Africa.

In the last competition’s second round, they were knocked out by Algerian team CR Belouizdad with a 6-2 aggregate score over two matches. The CAF Interclub men’s competitions are highly popular in African club football, with increasing global TV audiences due to the growing standard of African football.

The CAF Champions League will feature 59 clubs from 47 African countries, and the CAF Confederation Cup will include 52 clubs from 41 countries.

The draw for the Preliminary Stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub season will take place at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

Its is scheduled to be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube channel, CAF TV, at 15:00 local time (noon GMT). The last competition was won by Al Ahly SC of Egypt.

The CAF Champions League will feature 59 clubs from 47 African countries.
The CAF Champions League will feature 59 clubs from 47 African countries.
East End Lions, one of Sierra Leone's most successful clubs, has been placed in Pot One ahead of the CAF Confederation Cup draw on Thursday.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

East End Lions set for a return to CAF Interclub Competition

East End Lions, one of Sierra Leone’s most successful clubs, has been placed in Pot One ahead of the CAF Confederation Cup draw on Thursday.

The club, which has won the Sierra Leone championship twelve times, is also this year’s FA Cup finalist. And as a result, they’ll join 51 other clubs to know their opponents for this year’s Interclub Confederation Cup tournament.

The CAF Confederation Cup is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners’ Cup.

The draw for the Preliminary Stages of the 2024/2025 Interclub season will take place at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

It’s expected to be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube channel, CAF TV, at 15:00 local time (noon GMT).

The CAF Confederation Cup will include 52 clubs from 41 countries. In the previous season, Al Ahly SC won the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League title, and Zamalek were champions of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Teams qualify based on their national league and cup performance for this second-tier African club football competition, which ranks below the CAF Champions League. The tournament winner faces the CAF Champions League winner in the following season’s CAF Super Cup.

Sierra Leone to open AFCON 2025 campaign against Chad
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone to open AFCON 2025 campaign against Chad

Sierra Leone will begin their 2025 Afcon qualifying campaign by playing their first match against Chad at home, followed by a match against Zambia’s Chipolopolo in September for match-day two.

The Leone Stars will compete against Chad and Zambia in the first week of September, between the 2nd and the 10th. They are aiming to qualify for the continental tournament in Morocco next year, which would be their fourth time participating in the tournament.

In 2015, Sierra Leone and Chad played two matches, with Chad winning 1-0 at the Idriss Mahamat Ouya Omnisports Stadium during the FIFA World Cup Africa 1st round 1st Leg and Sierra Leone winning the second leg 2-1 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Igwuruta in Port Harcourt the same year.

These matches were for the first round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary. 2–2 on aggregate. Chad won on the away goals rule and advanced to the second round against Egypt.

In each group of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, only the top two teams will qualify for the final tournament. However, in Group B, which includes hosts Morocco, only one other team will be eligible.

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from December 2025 to January 2026.

Coach Amidu Karim urges early preps for AFCON qualifiers
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Coach Amidu Karim wants early preps for AFCON qualifiers

Sierra Leone’s coach prefers to begin preparations early after Leone Stars were placed in Group G, against holders Ivory Coast, 2012 Champions Zambia, and minnows Chad.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has set a three-month window for the qualification process to Morocco following a draw in Johannesburg on Thursday. The road to Morocco will begin in September and conclude in November 2024. 

Coach Amidu Karim acknowledged the tough race to Morocco as he’ll come up against formidable opponents, including holders Ivory Coast, 2012 Champions Zambia, and Chad, starting in September.

The qualifiers are set to kick off in September 2024 to determine the first 24 nations to compete in Africa’s biggest event, the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in 2025.

He led his Leone Stars team to earn four points from their last two World Cup 2026 qualification matches with a 2-1 victory over Djibouti and a 2-2 draw against Burkina Faso in June.

Coach Karim told Football Sierra Leone, “Our group has no weak teams. All we have to do is start our preparations. I’m optimistic about putting on a good show with the team’s current form and performance.”

Only the top two teams in each group will qualify for the final tournament, except for Group B, which includes hosts Morocco. In this group, only one other team will be eligible.

The Leone Stars did not qualify for the AFCON in Ivory Coast as they finished third in Group A behind Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau.

The 35th AFCON edition is scheduled to take start from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, encompassing the Christmas period.

2025 AFCON qualifiers Match days scheduled:

MD 1 & 2- 2nd- 10th September, 2024.

MD3 & 4- 7-15th October, 2024

MD 5 & 6- 11-19th November, 2024