2025-26 CAF CONFEDERATION CUP PREVIEW: WYDAD AC (MOROCCO) VS KUMASI ASANTE KOTOKO (GHANA): A DO -OR- DIE ENCOUNTER IN MOROCCO TONIGHT 

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) and Aaron Kintoh 

Predictions: Home win/draw

Tonight's showdown between Wydad AC (Morocco) and Asante Kotoko (Ghana) in the CAF Confederation Cup promises to be an unforgettable encounter at Casablanca's Mohammed V Stadium in Morocco.

Kotoko's chances of progressing rest on turning around the 1-0 deficit from the first leg, where Bakasu's goal gave Wydad AC the edge. A solid display and ruthless finishing will be key to beating the Moroccans at their own game.

Coach Karim Zito has named a 20-man squad for the challenge, with goalkeepers Aziz Haruna Dari and Benjamin Twum standing in for the suspended Mohammed Camara. 

Up front, Guinean striker Donzo Morifing and Amoah Albert will look to seize any scoring chances, supported by midfielders Lord Hillary Adabo and Gyau Hubert. 

The defence will feature Patrick Asiedu, Zackaria Fuseini, and Francis Acquah. 

The game is slated to kick off at 7:00 PM GMT (19:00 GMT) at Casablanca's Mohammed V Stadium. The team that wins the aggregate tie will advance to the group stage of the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup.

• Wydad Athletic Club, often known outside Morocco as Wydad Casablanca, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. It is one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight.

• It was founded on May 8, 1937, by seven Moroccans belonging to the national movement for independence, led by Mohamed Benjelloun Touimi. They initially focused on water polo to give indigenous Moroccans the right to access swimming pools before Mohamed Ben Lahcen Affani - also known by the nickname of "Père Jégo" ("Father Jégo") - created the football section in 1939. He was the first manager of the team. The club has traditionally worn a red home kit since its inception.

• Wydad Athletic Club's first participation in CAF inter-club competitions was the 1987 edition of the African Cup of Champions Clubs, which was later renamed the CAF Champions League. In the first round, Wydad AC advanced with a 5-1 aggregate score against ASC Police (Mauritania).

• Coincidentally, Wydad AC met Asante Kotoko in the second round, and Wydad AC were eliminated by Asante Kotoko with a 1-3 aggregate score.

• Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional football club founded on August 31, 1935, and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the Porcupine Warriors, and "kum apem a apem beba" in their local dialect, they compete in the Ghana Premier League and play their home matches at the Baba Yara Stadium in Amakom, Kumasi.

• Asante Kotoko's first CAF inter-club competition was the 1966 African Cup of Champions Clubs. They advanced 6-0 on aggregate against Etoile Filante (Togo) in the first round, but were eliminated 2-3 on aggregate by Stade d'Abidjan (Ivory Coast) in the quarter-finals.

• Accra Real Republicans were the first Ghanaian club to compete in the inaugural edition of the African Cup of Champions Clubs, joining the competition at the semi-final stage of the final tournament, where they lost their first match.
January 31, 1965 (Semi-Finals) 
Venue: Accra Stadium
Attendance: 50,000
Real Republicans          1-2 Oryx Douala (Cameroon)

• Accra Real Republicans were the first Ghanaian club to win a game in the CAF inter-club competition, which was on February 5, 1965, against Cotton Factory Club in a bronze medal match in the 1964-65 edition at the Accra Stadium.
Venue: Accra Stadium
Real Republicans          3-1 Cotton Factory Club (Ethiopia)
Kofi Pare 57', Amusa Gbadamosi 65', Charles Addo Odametey 79' (pen)//Abdelle 50'

• Later in 1997, CAF changed the name of the competition from the African Cup of Champions Clubs to the CAF Champions League, in line with UEFA's own Champions League.

• In 2004, the CAF Cup was merged with the Cup Winners' Cup, and was renamed the CAF Confederation Cup after the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

• Asante Kotoko were the first Ghanaian club to play against a Moroccan opponent when they met in the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1987, which was the 23rd edition of the competition since its inception in 1964.

• Asante Kotoko from Ghana joined the 1987 edition at the first round of the competition, but their opponent, Sporting de Bissau from Guinea-Bissau, withdrew, and Kotoko had a walkover to the second round, where, coincidentally, they met Wydad AC in a home and away tie.

• NB: Asante kotoko from Ghana progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition after winning 1-3 aggregate.

• The 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup, officially known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, will be the 23rd edition of the tournament and the 51st overall season of Africa's secondary club football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

• Head-to-Head since 1987.
Ghanaian Clubs vs Moroccan clubs 
Total matches played      - 41
Moroccan clubs wins       - 19
Goals scored                     - 56
Ghanaian Clubs wins       - 15
Goals scored                     - 47
Drawn games                    - 7

• Head-to-Head on Moroccan soil since 1987.  
Total matches played      - 20
Moroccan clubs wins       - 20
Goals scored                     - 44
Ghanaian Clubs wins       - 0
Goals scored                     - 9
Drawn games                    - 4

• Note: No club from Ghana has won on Moroccan soil in CAF inter-club competitions since 1987.

• Wydad AC Head-to-Head against Asante kotoko since 1987. 

• May 3, 1987 (1987 African Cup of Champions Clubs) [Second round] {1st leg}
Venue: Complex Sportif Mohammed V, Casablanca 
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante kotoko 
May 15, 1987 (2nd leg)
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante kotoko              2-0 Wydad AC
NB: Asante kotoko advanced to the next stage in 1-3 aggregate   

• November 16, 2002 (2002 Cup Winners' Cup) [Final] {1st leg}
Venue: Complex Sportif Mohammed V, Casablanca
Wydad AC                      1-0 Asante Kotoko 
Mohamed Madihi 50'
Manager: Rachid Taoussi (WAC)//Ralf Zumdick (Kotoko)
December 8, 2002 (2nd leg) 
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi
Asante Kotoko              2-1 Wydad AC (2nd leg) 
Aziz Ansah 54', Michael Osei 84'//Mustapha Talha 73'
NB: Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama was in attendance.
Manager: Ralf Zumdick (Kotoko)//Rachid Taoussi (WAC)
NB: Wydad AC won on away goals (2-2 on aggregate). 

• July 11, 2004 (2004 CAF Confederation Cup) [Play-off round] {1st leg}
Venue: Baba Yara Sports Stadium 
Asante Kotoko              2-0 Wydad AC 
Yusif Alhassan Chipsah 38', Nana Arhin Duah 61'
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante Kotoko (2nd leg) 
NB: Asante Kotoko advance on 3-1 aggregate to next stage.

• October 19, 2025 (2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup) [Second round] {1st leg}
Venue: Accra Sports Stadium 
Asante kotoko              0-1 Wydad AC 
Joseph Bakasu 

Total matches played      - 7
Wydad AC wins                 - 2
Goals scored                     - 5                   
Asante kotoko wins         - 3
Goals scored                     - 8
Drawn games                    - 2

• Wydad AC (Morocco) Head-to-Head at Home against Ghanaian opponents since 1987. 
Total matches played      - 5
Wydad AC wins                 - 3
Goals scored                     - 11
Ghanaian clubs wins        - 0
Goals scored                     - 4                                       
Drawn games                    - 2

• 1987 African Cup of Champions Clubs [Second round] {2nd leg}
Venue: Complex Sportif Mohammed V, Casablanca               
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante kotoko
NB: Asante kotoko advance to the next stage in 1-3 aggregate. 

• 2000 CAF Cup [Second round] {1st leg}
Wydad AC                      2-1 Ebusua Dwarfs
NB: Ebusua Dwarfs advance on 2-3 aggregate to the next stage of the competition.   

• 2002 Cup Winners' Cup [Final] {1st leg}               
Wydad AC                      1-0 Asante kotoko
NB: Wydad AC won away goals (2-2 on aggregate). 

• 2004 CAF Confederation Cup) [Play-off round] {2nd leg}              
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante kotoko 
NB: Asante kotoko advance on 3-1 aggregate to the next stage.

• 2021-22 CAF Champions League (second round) [2nd leg]          
Wydad AC                      6-1 Hearts of Oak
NB: Wydad AC advance on 2-6 aggregate to the next stage.    

• Asante kotoko Head-to-Head at Away against Moroccan opponents since 1987. 
Total matches played      - 7
Moroccan clubs wins       - 4
Goals scored                     - 11
Asante kotoko wins         - 0
Goals scored                     - 5
Drawn games                    - 3                                    

• 1987 African Cup of Champions Clubs [Second round] {1st leg}   
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante kotoko
NB: Asante kotoko advance to the next stage in 1-3 aggregate.  

• 1990 African Cup of Champions Clubs [second round] {1st leg}
FAR Rabat                      3-3 Asante kotoko
NB: Asante kotoko advance to the next stage in 3-4 aggregate.       

• 1993 African Cup of Champions Clubs [second round] {2nd leg}              
Kawkab Marrakech      1-0 Asante kotoko
NB: Asante kotoko advanced to the next stage of the competition in 3-1 aggregate. 

• 2002 Cup Winners' Cup [Final] {1st leg} 
Wydad AC                      1-0 Asante kotoko 
Mohamed Madihi 50'
Manager: Rachid Taoussi (WAC)//Ralf Zumdick (Kotoko)
NB: Wydad AC won on away goals (2-2 on aggregate).

• 2004 CAF Confederation Cup [Play-off round] {2nd leg}               
Wydad AC                      1-1 Asante kotoko 
NB: Asante kotoko advance on 3-1 aggregate to next stage.

• 2005 CAF Champions League (First round) [Semi-final] {2nd leg}              
FAR Rabat                      2-0 Asante kotoko 
NB: FAR Rabat advance with 1-2 aggregate to the next stage.

• 2009 CAF Champions League (First round) [2nd leg]              
Ittihad Khemisset         2-0 Asante kotoko 
NB: Ittihad Khemisset advance on 3-3 (away goals rule) to the next stage.

• Knockout stage Head-to-Head (Grand-Finals excluded)
Total matches played - 15 times
Moroccan clubs have been able to eliminate Ghanaian clubs on eight (8) occasions while Ghanaian clubs advancing to the next stage on seven (7) occasions.

• Head-to-Head record in knockout stages, including grand finals (1997 Champions League Final and 2002 Cup Winners' Cup Final). 
Knockout games played - 17 Moroccan clubs have progressed on ten (10) occasions, while Ghanaian teams have progressed on seven (7) occasions.

• Wydad AC's Head-to-Head record in knockout stages (excluding finals) against Ghanaian clubs since 1987.
Total matches played             - 4
Wydad AC advance on           - 1 time
Ghanaian clubs advance on  - 3 times

• Asante Kotoko's Head-to-Head record in knockout stages (excluding finals) against Moroccan clubs since 1987.
Total matches played             - 6
Moroccan clubs advance on - 2 times
Asante kotoko advance on    - 4 times