TANZANIAN giants Young Africans FC, also known as Yanga, have been placed in a challenging Group A of the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League, facing a lineup of former CAF interclub champions.

The draw, held in Cairo, Egypt, on October 7, 2024, sees Yanga competing against African heavyweights TP Mazembe (DR Congo), MC Alger (Algeria), and Al Hilal (Sudan).

This group stage follows Young Africans' impressive run in the preliminary rounds of both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup. 

The Jangwani Street-based club, under the guidance of head coach Miguel Gamondi (pictured), secured their spot in the Champions League group stage by convincingly overcoming Burundi’s Vital'O FC and Ethiopia’s CBE in the qualifying stages.

The upcoming clash between Young Africans and TP Mazembe is particularly significant, as the two sides previously met in the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup group stage. 

In that encounter, Young Africans emerged victorious in both legs, securing a 3-1 away win and a 1-0 home victory. Yanga will look to build on that success as they face Mazembe once again.

Young Africans will also seek to avenge past defeats against their other Group A rivals. Al Hilal Omdurman eliminated Young Africans from the second preliminary round of the 2022/23 CAF Champions League, with a 2-1 aggregate victory. 

The teams drew 1-1 in Dar es Salaam, but Al Hilal clinched a 1-0 win in Omdurman, sending Yanga out of the competition.

Another key opponent, MC Alger, currently the Algeria Ligue 1 champions and former CAF Champions League winners (1976), will face Young Africans for the first time in the Champions League. 

However, the two clubs previously clashed in the CAF Confederation Cup playoff in 2017, where MC Alger dominated with a 5-0 aggregate victory.

This season marks Young Africans' third appearance in the CAF Champions League, and the first time the club has participated in back-to-back editions of the competition. 

Following their elimination by Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarterfinals of the last season, Young Africans are determined to surpass that achievement and make a deeper run in this year’s tournament.

With a formidable group of opponents ahead, the Tanzanian champions will need to be at their best as they aim for continental success and to cement their place among Africa’s elite football clubs.