African Champions League: Morocco’s RS Berkane Bests Sudan’s Al Hilal, Advances to Semifinals

Organized by LaLiga in partnership with the José Ramón de la Morena Foundation, this international youth football tournament brought together 20 clubs from five continents to mark the 30th anniversary of this flagship competition.

As the only Arab and African representative, WAC competed in Group C alongside Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Real Betis, and Sevilla FC.

Considered one of the most prestigious events in youth football, the tournament has unveiled numerous talents who later became major figures in world football.

In a statement to MAP, the tournament’s founder, José Ramón de la Morena, had previously recalled that the tournament, launched 30 years ago, aims to create opportunities for young footballers and promote the values of effort, respect, and solidarity, welcoming its evolution into a global competition.

He also expressed his enthusiasm about discovering WAC’s young players, praising the quality of the club’s academy, the rise of Moroccan football, and the remarkable performance of the Morocco national football team at the last World Cup.

The competition concluded on Sunday with Real Betis Balompié being crowned champions after a hard-fought and spectacular 3–1 victory over Flamengo in the final.

AS FAR opened the scoring in the 9th minute through Reda Slim, before doubling their lead in the 54th minute thanks to Rabii Hrimat.

The Egyptians narrowed the gap in the 62nd minute through Fiston Mayele, but were unable to equalize.

The first leg, played in Rabat, had ended in a 1-1 draw.

With this victory (3-2 on aggregate), AS FAR secured its spot in the competition’s semifinals.

In the semifinals, AS FAR will face the winner of the two-leg series between RS Berkane and Al Hilal Omdurman, the outcome of which will be determined following Sunday’s match.

The only goal of the match was scored in the 93rd minute by Mounir Chouiar, allowing his team to advance to the semifinals after a tight contest that went down to the wire.

The first leg, played in Berkane, had ended in a 1-1 draw. With this victory, RS Berkane secured its spot in the competition’s semifinals.

In the semifinals, RS Berkane will face AS FAR, which qualified for the semifinals of the African Champions League after a 2-1 away victory over Pyramids FC, thanks to goals by Reda Slim and Rabii Hrimat. The Egyptians’ only goal was scored in the 62nd minute by Fiston Mayele