The 42nd African Men’s and Women’s Club Championship for Cup Winners took place between 9 and 14 July in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, with 12 teams – six in the men’s competition and six in the women’s competition - from five countries lining up at the start.

For the first time in history, a team from Congo won the title in the men’s competition, as Étoile du Congo secured the trophy, despite losing a key match in the preliminary round, while Angola powerhouse Petro Atlético extended their dominance in the women’s competition.

In both competitions, the six participating teams have been divided into two groups of three teams each, with the top two sides advancing to the semi-finals.

In the men’s competition, the winners of Group A were Moroccan side Montada, who pulled no punches in the matches against AS Police from DR Congo – 32:20 – and against Étoile du Congo, 30:21.

Étoile du Congo finished on the second place, with a clear 30:19 win against AS Police, as Justin Mbani Mpika scored 12 goals.

In Group B, the first match saw hosts Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa draw against former winners FAP Yaounde, 19:19, before the two sides battled against another team from DR Congo, Scorpion HC, with the first place up for grabs.

Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa took the first place, with a 33:15 win, while FAP Yaounde finished second, winning only by 10 goals, 26:16.

However, the semi-finals brought a huge shock, as Montada, the favourites of the competition, found themselves in a tough spot at the break, being down four goals, 9:13, against FAP.

Brahim Hafiz did score eight goals for the Moroccan side, which managed to tie the score, 23:23, with three minutes to go, after being down three goals, 20:23, but Jean Marie Mbida scored the decider with one minute to go to seal a 25:24 win for FAP.

David Bikim Bi Ndjee, Dobenech Bouye Mbou and Serge Okoko Elenga each scored six goals for Étoile du Congo, as they produced another surprise to seal a win by the same score as FAP, 25:24, in the other semi-final against Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa, setting up a clash against FAP.

And it was a very close and low-scoring affair between the two sides in the last act, as at the break, Étoile du Congo had a 10:9 lead against FAP. Bikim Bi Ndjee, Vang-Sy Taty Costodes and Justin Mbani Mpika combined for 13 goals throughout the match, as FAP scored only 16 goals, with the Congo team taking a 19:16 win in the end.

It was the first title for Étoile du Congo, which had previously finished third in 1998, becoming the first team from Congo to secure the title in the competition.

The bronze medal was sealed by Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa, with a 32:26 win over Montada.

Montada’s Brahim Hafiz was the top scorer of the competition, with 28 goals, one more than Etoile’s Justin Mbani Mpika and six goals over JSK’s Mario De Jeesus Tinda Tati.

In the women’s competition, Petro Atlético swept their opponents to secure their 12th title, extending their dominance in a commanding manner.

Drawn into Group B, they won against HBC Kali, 49:10, then took another double-digits win against Heritage, 34:23. Heritage finished second, thanks to a 39:28 win against Kali.

In Group A, FAP Yaounde won the first match against Tout Puissant Mazembe, 38:19, but lost against AS Otoho, 23:24, with Otoho sealing the first place in the group, thanks to a 37:19 win against Mazembe.

In the semi-finals, Otoho, which finished fourth in 2023 and 2024, took a 29:23 over Heritage, making the final for the first time in history, as Francisca Araujo Joao scored nine goals.

In the second semi-final, Petro Atlético earned their third consecutive win in double digits, by powering over FAP, 35:16.

The Angola side also started strong the final, taking an early 7:2 lead, but Otoho slowly crawled back into the match and cut the gap to one goal. By half-time, Petro Atlético had a three-goal lead, 17:14.

11 goals from Vilma Pegado Nenganga were enough for Petro Atlético to break free and secure a 32:27 win, clinching their 12th title in the competition and their second in a row, as Otoho could not hold the rhythm until the end.

Heritage beat FAP, 25:24, in the bronze medal match to finish on the podium.

Heritage’s Christianne Mwasesa Mwange was the top scorer of the competition, with 34 goals, three over Nenganga and four over teammate Imaculada Tito Matos.

Photo credit: CAHB