With 10 days packed of excellent matches and great handball in Brazzaville, Congo, the 44th CAHB Men's and Women's African Club Championship concluded on 7 October with the two finals, as Egyptian powerhouse Al-Ahly and Angolan reigning champions Primeiro de Agosto sealing the titles, winning their seventh and eighth title respectively in the African premium competition.

The nine teams in the men’s competition were divided into two groups, one of five teams and the other one of four teams, played in a round-robin format, with four teams from each group progressing to the next phase of the competition, the quarter-finals.

In the group phase, Al-Ahly had no rivals, with the big favourites strolling around to the quarter-finals, as they secured a 33:18 win over Cameroon’s FAP, a 37:24 win over Congo’s BMC and a 42:30 win over DR Congo’s Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa (JSK).

Eight teams progressed to the quarter-finals, where Al-Ahly also took a clear 35:18 win over Fondation Andre Nziko Yaounde from Cameroon, while two other matches, JSK’s 35:33 win over Benin’s Adjidja and FAP’s 23:22 win over Congo’s Petro Sport were on a knife’s edge.

In the semi-finals, Al-Ahly also clinched a 37:27 win over BMC, while JSK took a 29:24 win over FAP, becoming the first-ever team from DR Congo to qualify in the final of the CAHB Men's African Club Championship.

There were no surprises, though, in the final, where Al-Ahly, who will represent Africa at the 2023 IHF Men’s Super Globe, took a 16:11 lead at the break against JSK, dominating clearly in the second half, when they secured a 37:23 win.

This was Al-Ahly’s sixth win in the competition and their first since 2016, with the title returning to Egypt for the first time since 2019, when Zamalek SC had previously sealed it.

In the women’s competition, there was always the big possibility for a 100% Angolan final and this was the case too this time, with the two big rivals, Petro Atletico de Luanda and Primeiro de Agosto, being on a collision course just after the draw.

Both sides secured three wins in the group phase, with Petro taking a 43:22 win over FAP, a 42:17 win over Bandama and a 35:24 win over DGSP, while Primeiro de Agosto sealed a 46:24 win over Fondation Andre Nziko Yaounde, a 37:13 win over hosts Grain de Sel and a 29:28 win over the Egyptian side Al-Ahly.

In fact, Al-Ahly looked to be the only side which could have applied some pressure, as they eventually conceded a 18:22 loss against Petro Atletico de Luanda in the semi-finals, as the reigning champions, Primeiro de Agosto, won against Congo’s DGSP, 27:24.

The fourth consecutive final between the two sides yielded the same result like in the prevuous years, with Primeiro de Agost taking an early lead and never looking back. With an eight-goal performance from Rosario do Palmira and six goals from Paula Gilda Simao, Primeiro sealed a 28:26 win for their eighth consecutive title.

Petro Atletico are still the most decorated team, despite losing the last finals, with 19 titles.