22 teams ready to start the 2022 African Club Championship

The 43rd CAHB Men's and Women's African Club Championship will be held in Hammamet and Nabeul in Tunisia from 30 September to 9 October 2022.

22 teams will participate in the competition, with 10 men's and 12 women's clubs at the start, divided into two groups at the draw for the event, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, on 30 August.

In the men's competition, 10 sides will throw off the tournament, with seven countries represented, with Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria being the only ones with two teams.

The sides have been divided into two groups of five teams each. The top four sides in each group progress to the quarter-finals, where the winner of Group A will face the fourth place in Group B, the second place in Group A will face the third place in Group B and vice versa.

The winners of the previous nine editions will feature in the competition, as Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek will look to extend their winning streak to four titles in a row after a hat-trick of wins in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

It will be the first edition of the competition since 2019. The 2020 edition was cancelled because of COVID-19, while last year, the competition was not held due to a lack of a host.

This year, though, Tunisia welcomes the 22 teams, with two venues ready to host the sides, as the best teams in African handball will clash for the coveted trophy.

Zamalek (12 titles) and MC Alger (11 titles) are the most decorated teams in the competition's history, with Egyptian side Al Ahly, who won in 2012 and 2016, following in the standings with five titles.

The women's competition will feature 12 teams, with two clear favourites, the Angolan sides Primeiro de Agosto and Petro Atletico, who have dominated the competition for over two decades.

In fact, the last time a team from outside Angola secured the title in the Women's African Club Championship was in 1996, when Africa Sports, from Cote d'Ivoire, were crowned winners.

Teams from nine countries will feature in the competition, with Angola – Primeiro de Agosto and Petro Atletico –, Cameroon – FAP Yaounde and TKC – and Algeria – El Biar and Boumerdes – being the only countries with two teams in the competition.

Primeiro de Agosto won the previous six editions of the competition after Petro Atletico de Luanda secured the last 17 titles.

The rules are the same as in the men's tournament, with the sides being divided into two groups of six teams each. The top four sides in each group progress to the quarter-finals, where the winner of Group A will face the fourth place in Group B, the second place in Group A will face the third place in Group B and vice versa.

Men's African African Club Championship 2022

Group A: Zamalek (EGY), Club Africain (TUN), FAP Yaounde (CMR), Red Star (CIV), MC Alger (ALG)

Group B: Al Ahly (EGY), Esperance de Tunis (TUN), Jeunesse Sportive de Kinshasa (RD Congo), Flowers HC (BEN), Ain Touta (Algeria)

Women's African African Club Championship 2022

Group A: Petro Atletico (ANG), FAP Yaounde (CMR), Habitat HC d’Abobo (CIV), Flowers HC (BEN), El Biar (ALG), USG (GUI)

Group B: Primeiro de Agosto (ANG), DGSP Brazzaville (CGO), TKC Yaounde (CMR), CF Moknie (TUN), Boumerdes (ALG), Grasshoppers Owerri (NGA)

Photo: Tunisian Handball Federation