2012 CAF Confederation Cup
# 2012 CAF Confederation Cup

The 2012 CAF Confederation Cup (also known as the 2012 Orange CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 9th edition of the CAF Confederation Cup, Africa's secondary club football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

AC Léopards from the Republic of the Congo won their first title, defeating Djoliba from Mali with a 4–3 win on aggregate in the final. They earned the right to play in the 2013 CAF Super Cup.

## Association team allocation

Theoretically, up to 55 CAF member associations may enter the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to CAF 5-year ranking eligible to enter 2 teams in the competition. For this year's competition, CAF used 2006-10 5-Year ranking. As a result, a maximum of 67 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.

### Ranking system

CAF calculates points for each entrant association based on their clubs’ performance over the last 5 years in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, not taking into considering the running year. The criteria for points are the following:

| | CAF Champions League | CAF Confederation Cup |
| - | - | - |
| Winner | 5 points | 4 points |
| Runner-up | 4 points | 3 points |
| Losing semi-finalists | 3 points | 2 points |
| 3rd place in groups | 2 points | 1 point |
| 4th place in groups | 1 point | 1 point |

The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follow:

* 2010 – 5
* 2009 – 4
* 2008 – 3
* 2007 – 2
* 2006 – 1

### Entrants list

Below is the entrants list for the competition. Nations are shown according to their 2006–2010 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated. Teams were also seeded using their individual 2007–2011 5-Year team Ranking. The top sixteen sides (shown in bold) received byes to the first qualifying round.

| Association | Club | Qualifying method |
| - | - | - |
| Associations with two entrants (Ranked 1–12) |||
| Tunisia (1st - 97 pts) | CS Sfaxien | 2010–11 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 third place |
| Tunisia (1st - 97 pts) | Club Africain | 2010–11 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 fourth place |
| Egypt (2nd - 81 pts) | ENPPI (one entrant only) | 2010–11 Egypt Cup winner |
| Congo DR (3rd - 60 pts) | Saint Eloi Lupopo | 2011 Linafoot third place |
| Congo DR (3rd - 60 pts) | US Tshinkunku | 2011 Coupe du Congo winner |
| Nigeria (4th - 58 pts) | Warri Wolves | 2010–11 Nigeria Premier League third place |
| Nigeria (4th - 58 pts) | Heartland | 2011 Nigerian FA Cup winner |
| Sudan (5th - 47 pts) | Alamal Atbara | 2011 Sudan Premier League third place |
| Sudan (5th - 47 pts) | Al-Ahly Shendi | 2011 Sudan Premier League fourth place |
| Algeria (6th - 45 pts) | ES Sétif (one entrant only) | 2010–11 Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 third place |
| Morocco (7th - 27 pts) | Wydad AC | 2010–11 Botola third place |
| Morocco (7th - 27 pts) | CODM Meknès | 2011 Coupe du Trône runner-up |
| Mali (8th - 21 pts) | AS Real Bamako | 2010–11 Malian Première Division third place |
| Mali (8th - 21 pts) | Cercle Olympique de Bamako | 2011 Malian Cup winner |
| Zimbabwe (9th - 18 pts) | Motor Action | 2011 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League third place |
| Zimbabwe (9th - 18 pts) | Hwange | 2011 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League fourth place |
| Cameroon (11th - 14 pts) | Union Douala | 2010–11 Cameroonian Premier League third place |
| Cameroon (11th - 14 pts) | Unisport Bafang | 2011 Cameroonian Cup runner-up |
| Ivory Coast (=12th - 13 $pts)^†$ | Séwé Sports | 2011 Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division third place |
| Ivory Coast (=12th - 13 $pts)^†$ | ASEC Mimosas | 2011 Coupe de Côte d'Ivoire de football winner |
| Associations with one entrant (Fewer ranking points than the 12th CAF association) |||
| Angola (=12th - 13 $pts)^†$ | Interclube | 2011 Angola Cup winner |
| Zambia (=12th - 13 $pts)^†$ | Red Arrows | 2011 Zambian Premier League runner-up |
| Ghana (15th - 6 pts) | Nania | 2010–11 Ghanaian FA Cup winner |
| Niger (=16th - 5 pts) | Sahel SC | 2011 Niger Cup winner |
| South Africa (=16th - 5 pts) | Black Leopards | 2011 Nedbank Cup runner-up |
| Equatorial Guinea (18th - 1 pt) | Atlético Semu | 2011 Equatoguinean Cup winner |
| Benin | Dragons | 2011 Benin Cup winner |
| Botswana | Extension Gunners | 2011 Botswana FA Challenge Cup winner |
| Burkina Faso | Étoile Filante | 2011 Coupe du Faso winner |
| Burundi | LLB Académic | 2011 Burundian Cup winner |
| Central African Republic | AS Tempête Mocaf | 2011 Central African Republic Coupe Nationale winner |
| Chad | Renaissance | 2011 Coupe de Ligue de N'Djaména winner |
| Congo | AC Léopards | 2011 Coupe du Congo winner |
| Ethiopia | Saint George SA | 2010–11 Ethiopian Cup winner |
| Gabon | AS Mangasport | 2011 Coupe du Gabon Interclubs winner |
| Gambia | Gamtel | 2011 Gambian Cup winner |
| Guinea | FC Séquence | 2011 Guinée Coupe Nationale winner |
| Guinea-Bissau | ADR Desportivo de Mansabá | 2011 Taça Nacional da Guiné Bissau winner |
| Kenya | Gor Mahia | 2011 FKL Cup winner |
| Liberia | Invincible Eleven | 2011 Liberian Cup winner |
| Madagascar | Tana Formation | 2011 Coupe de Madagascar runner-up |
| Mozambique | Ferroviário de Maputo | 2011 Taça de Moçambique winner |
| Rwanda | Kiyovu Sports | 2010–11 Rwandan Premier League runner-up |
| Senegal | Casa Sport | 2011 Senegal FA Cup winner |
| Sierra Leone | FC Kallon | 2011 Sierra Leone National Premier League runner-up |
| Swaziland | Royal Leopards | 2011 Swazi Cup winner |
| Tanzania | Simba | 2010–11 Tanzanian Premier League runner-up |
| Zanzibar | Jamhuri | 2011 Zanzibar Premier League runner-up |

**Notes**

* Associations that did not enter a team: Libya (seeded 10th with 16 ranking points and entitled to two entrants), Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Réunion, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia, Togo, Uganda
* $^†$ According to the formula for calculating the CAF 5-year ranking, Angola, Ivory Coast and Zambia are tied 12th place with 13 ranking points. As stated in local media reports, Ivory Coast have two entrants, while Angola and Zambia have one entrant.
* Unranked associations have no ranking points and hence are equal 19th.

Moreover, eight losers from the 2012 CAF Champions League second round entered the play-off round:

* Coton Sport
* AFAD Djékanou
* Djoliba
* Stade Malien
* Maghreb de Fès
* Al-Hilal
* Al-Merreikh
* Dynamos

## Round and draw dates

Schedule of dates for 2012 competition.

| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 December 2011 (Cairo, Egypt) | 17–19 February | 2–4 March |
| Qualifying | First round | 9 December 2011 (Cairo, Egypt) | 23–25 March | 6–8 April |
| Qualifying | Second round (1st Round of 16) | 9 December 2011 (Cairo, Egypt) | 27–29 April | 11–13 May |
| Qualifying | Play-off round (2nd Round of 16) | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 29 June–1 July | 13–15 July |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 3–5 August | 3–5 August |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 17–19 August | 17–19 August |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 31 August–2 September | 31 August–2 September |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 14–16 September | 14–16 September |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 5–7 October | 5–7 October |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 19–21 October | 19–21 October |
| Knock-out stage | Semifinals | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 2–4 November | 9–11 November |
| Knock-out stage | Final | 15 May 2012 (Cairo, Egypt) | 16–18 November | 23–25 November |

## Qualifying rounds

The fixtures for the preliminary, first and second qualifying rounds were announced on 9 December 2011.

Qualification ties were decided over two legs, with aggregate goals used to determine the winner. If the sides were level on aggregate after the second leg, the away goals rule was applied, and if still level, the tie proceeded directly to a penalty shootout (no extra time was played).

### Preliminary round

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Dragons | 1–2 | Étoile Filante | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Nania | w/o | FC Séquence | — | — |
| Union Douala | 1–2 | FC Kallon | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Black Leopards | 3–1 | Motor Action | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Red Arrows | 0–1 | Royal Leopards | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| AS Mangasport | 0–5 | Saint George SA | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Kiyovu Sports | 2–3 | Simba | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Ferroviário de Maputo | 4–0 | Gor Mahia | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Séwé Sports | 0–1 | Unisport Bafang | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| AC Léopards | 4–2 | AS Tempête Mocaf | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| LLB Académic | 5–0 | Atlético Semu | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Renaissance | 4–2 | Sahel SC | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| ADR Desportivo de Mansabá | w/o | Invincible Eleven | — | — |
| Gamtel | 1–1 (4–3 p) | Casa Sport | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Extension Gunners | 2–3 | Tana Formation | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Jamhuri | 1–7 | Hwange | 0–3 | 1–4 |

**Notes**

* Note 1: FC Séquence advanced to the first round after Nania withdrew.
* Note 2: Invincible Eleven advanced to the first round after ADR Desportivo de Mansabá withdrew.

### First round

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Étoile Filante | 2–4 | ASEC Mimosas | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| FC Séquence | 0–5 | CODM Meknès | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| FC Kallon | 0–2 | Warri Wolves | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Black Leopards | 6–4 | Saint Eloi Lupopo | 4–2 | 2–2 |
| Royal Leopards | 3–2 | US Tshinkunku | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Saint George SA | 1–3 | Club Africain | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Simba | 3–3 (a) | ES Sétif | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Ferroviário de Maputo | 0–3 | Al-Ahly Shendi | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Unisport Bafang | 1–2 | Heartland | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| AC Léopards | 3–2 | CS Sfaxien | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| LLB Académic | 2–5 | ENPPI | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| Renaissance | 4–5 | Cercle Olympique de Bamako | 3–2 | 1–3 |
| Invincible Eleven | 1–6 | Wydad AC | 0–2 | 1–4 |
| Gamtel | 2–3 | AS Real Bamako | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Tana Formation | 2–2 (5–6 p) | Interclube | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Hwange | 1–1 (a) | Alamal Atbara | 1–1 | 0–0 |

### Second round

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| ASEC Mimosas | 1–1 (a) | CODM Meknès | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Warri Wolves | 3–3 (a) | Black Leopards | 3–1 | 0–2 |
| Royal Leopards | 2–5 | Club Africain | 0–1 | 2–4 |
| Simba | 3–3 (8–9 p) | Al-Ahly Shendi | 3–0 | 0–3 |
| Heartland | 4–4 (a) | AC Léopards | 3–2 | 1–2 |
| ENPPI | 3–4 | Cercle Olympique de Bamako | 3–1 | 0–3 |
| Wydad AC | 3–1 | AS Real Bamako | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Interclube | 6–1 | Alamal Atbara | 4–1 | 2–0 |

### Play-off round

In the play-off round, the winners from the second round played against the losers from the 2012 CAF Champions League second round. The winners of the CAF Confederation Cup second round hosted the second leg at home.

The draw for the play-off round and group stage was held on 15 May 2012. For the play-off round draw, two teams were seeded (using their individual 2007–2011 5-Year team Ranking), and for the group stage draw, the winners of the play-off round ties involving them were seeded into Pot 1, and the winners of the remaining ties were seeded into Pot 2. Each group contained one team from Pot 1 and three teams from Pot 2.

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Maghreb de Fès | 1–2 | AC Léopards | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Al-Hilal | 3–0 | Cercle Olympique de Bamako | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| AFAD Djékanou | 0–1 | Wydad AC | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Al-Merreikh | 3–2 | Black Leopards | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Djoliba | 2–2 (4–3 p) | Club Africain | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Dynamos | 0–1 | Interclube | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Stade Malien | 4–1 | CODM Meknès | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Coton Sport | 1–2 | Al-Ahly Shendi | 1–0 | 0–2 |

## Group stage

The matchdays were 3–5 August, 17–19 August, 31 August–2 September, 14–16 September, 5–7 October, and 19–21 October.

* Key to colours in group tables
* Group winners and runners-up advance to the Semifinals

### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Al-Merreikh | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 14 |
| Al-Hilal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 11 |
| Interclube | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 5 |
| Al-Ahly Shendi | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 3 |
| | AHL | HIL | MER | INT |
| Al-Ahly Shendi | — | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Al-Hilal | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Al-Merreikh | 2–0 | 3–2 | — | 1–0 |
| Interclube | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — |

### Group B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Djoliba | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 13 |
| AC Léopards | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 |
| Wydad AC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Stade Malien | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 3 |
| | LEO | DJO | SMA | WAC |
| AC Léopards | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Djoliba | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Stade Malien | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 3–3 |
| Wydad AC | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |

## Knock-out stage

### Bracket

| Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Al-Hilal | 2 | 0 | 2 (6) | | | | | |
| 4 | Djoliba (p) | 0 | 2 | 2 (7) | | | | | |
| 4 | Djoliba (p) | 0 | 2 | 2 (7) | Djoliba | Djoliba | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| | | | | | AC Léopards | AC Léopards | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | AC Léopards | 2 | 0 | 2 | AC Léopards | AC Léopards | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Al-Merrikh | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | |

### Semifinals

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Al-Hilal | 2–2 (6–7 p) | Djoliba | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| AC Léopards | 2–1 | Al-Merrikh | 2–1 | 0–0 |

### Final

AC Léopards won 4–3 on aggregate.

## Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rudy Ndey | AC Léopards | 5 |
| 1 | Ismaïla Diarra | Cercle Olympique de Bamako | 5 |
| 1 | Edward Sadomba | Al-Hilal | 5 |
| 4 | Moco | Interclube | 4 |
| 4 | Abdul Razak Fiston | LLB Académic | 4 |
| 4 | Adane Girma | Saint George SA | 4 |
| 4 | Alou Bagayoko | Djoliba | 4 |
| 4 | Mudather El Tahir | Al-Hilal | 4 |
| 4 | Ahmed El-Basha | Al-Merreikh | 4 |
| 4 | Ezechiel Ndouassel | Club Africain | 4 |
