Al-Ahly and Petro Atletico sealed the double on the African continent, adding the titles in the 41st CAHB African Men's and Women’s Cup Winners' Cup to their previous trophies clinched in the CAHB African Men’s Handball Super Cup in the start of May.

The 41th edition of the CAHB Men's and Women's African Clubs Championship took place in Cairo, Egypt, between 14 and 23 May, with 10 men’s teams and nine women’s teams at the start and some big favourites on the card.

In the men’s competition, the winners of the previous four editions – Egyptian sides Al-Ahly and Zamalek, plus Tunisian side Esperance de Tunis – were at the start, while Angolan powerhouses Petro Atletico and Primeiro de Agosto were the favourites in the women’s competition.

The 10 sides taking part in the men’s competition were divided into two groups of five teams each, with the top four teams in each group progressing to the quarter-finals.

In Group A, Zamalek finished first, taking a 33:13 win against DR Congo’s Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa, a 34:18 win against Moroccan side Widad Smara, a 27:18 win against Cameroonian side FAP and a 36:20 win against another Moroccan side, Montada.

Group B was dominated by Al-Ahly, which started with a 39:18 win against Red Star from Cote d’Ivoire, a 30:18 win against AS Far from Morocco, while in the third match, they secured a crucial 25:23 win over rivals Esperance de Tunis, to clinch the first place. In the last day of the group phase, Al-Ahly took a 39:18 win against Cameroonian side FANZ.

The quarter-finals saw the two Egyptian powerhouses qualify with ease, as Al-Ahly took a 45:21 win over Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa, while Zamalek powered through thanks to a 40:21 win over Red Star.

One Moroccan side, the winner of the Moroccan derby between Montada and AS FAR Rabat, also qualified, as Montada took a 33:28 win, while Esperance de Tunis set up a crunch semi-final with Zamalek.

It was clear that Al-Ahly were going to be huge favourites in the semi-final against Montada and they delivered a flawless match, leading 19:10 at the break and pushing to a 36:23 win.

On the other hand, Zamalek provided an excellent match against Esperance de Tunis, taking a 30:22 win, as Montenegrin right back Branko Vujovic scored seven goals, while Ahmed Elahmar added six more goals.

Therefore, a crunch clash between the two Egyptian giants was set up, and, once again, just like two weeks ago, it was Al-Ahly which got the best of Zamalek, with a better finish.

After 30 minutes in the final, Al-Ahly had a 15:14 lead, but in the end, the Egyptian side got the best of their rivals, clinching a 31:28 win, with Khaled Hassanein scoring six goals, while Mohamed Ramadan and Stanislav Kasparek scored five each.

This was the fifth title won by Al-Ahly at the CAHB African Men's and Women’s Cup Winners' Cup, tying Tunisian side Club Africain on the third position between the teams with the largest number of titles, standings dominated by Algerian side MC Alger (nine trophies) and Zamalek (seven trophies)

Esperance Tunis secured the bronze medal, with a 43:25 win over Montada.

In the women’s competition, Primeiro de Agosto and Petro Atletico – the two Angolan powerhouses – had won the previous 15 editions of the competition, but this time around, their dominance (four of the last five finals saw the two sides facing off) was snapped by Al-Ahly.

A rising power in the African women’s club handball, Al-Ahly won their group, ahead of reigning champions Primeiro de Agosto, after securing three wins, including a 25:22 win over the Angolan side.

In the other group – consisting of five teams – Petro Atletico de Luanda delivered a flawless performance, with four wins in four matches and a stunning goal difference of +74.

The quarter-finals provided no surprises, with Al-Ahly taking a 35:25 win over Cameroonian side FAP, while Tunisian side ASF Sahel clinched a 26:22 win over Abidjan HBC from Cote d’Ivoire.

Both Angolan sides secured wins, with Primeiro de Agosto clinching a 35:20 win over Congolose side AS Otoho, while Petro Atletico dispatched of Cameroonian side TKC, 29:17.

However, due to their loss against Al-Ahly in the preliminary round, Primeiro de Agosto faced Petro Atletico in the Angolan derby in the semi-finals, and the two sides provided a fantastic match, with twists and turns.

A 12:11 lead at the break morphed into a 25:24 win from Petro Atletico, which secured their sixth consecutive finals berth in the competition.

In the other semi-final, Al-Ahly took a 22:20 win and earned a historic place in the final, their maiden in their appearances in the competition, after finishing third three times, in 1993, 2023 and 2024.

There was no question about the winner, as Petro Atletico thoroughly dominated Al-Ahly in the final, taking a 29:18 win, as Vilma Nenganga dominated the court with the eight goals scored, bringing her side the 11th title in the competition.

The bronze medal was clinched by Primeiro de Agosto, with a 30:22 win against ASF Sahel.

Credit photo: Al-Ahly Handball