The calls to scrap the two-legged CAF Champions League finals grow louder every season. People point to Europe and ask why Africa cannot simply adopt the UEFA model: one final, one city, one spectacle.
But after covering both legs of the CAF Champions League final over the past two seasons, I’ve come to one conclusion – the two-legged final is not African football’s problem. In many ways, it is one of the things that makes it special.
Last weekend, Sunday’s final between Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR Rabat at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah was, without question, one of the greatest atmospheres I have experienced while covering football on the continent.
The stadium buzzed from start to finish.
The AS FAR ultras sang relentlessly for 90 minutes, their voices drowning out every attempt by the travelling supporters to answer back. It was intense, emotional and deeply African. Several Sundowns fans who made the trip admitted afterwards that they had learnt a thing or two about the culture of support from the Moroccan faithful. And that is exactly why these occasions matter.
Two-legged finals allow supporters in both countries to experience the occasion in person. In Africa, this is far more important than many people realise.
When PSG or Arsenal supporters travel across Europe for a Champions League final, many can take a €50 [R914] budget flight with no visa requirements and arrive in a matter of hours. Europe’s infrastructure makes this possible. Twenty-seven countries operate within a borderless zone, connected by affordable airlines and efficient transport systems. Africa is a completely different reality.
I travelled 7600 km from Johannesburg to Casablanca for the final. Travelling via Doha, Qatar, it took exactly 22 hours to reach Casa, including the six-hour layover.
CAF EXPERIMENTED WITH THE SINGLE-LEG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Travel within Africa remains among the most expensive in the world, and many routes still require lengthy visa processes and multiple flight connections. The return trip costs around R30,000. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. For many ordinary supporters, that simply is not realistic.
This is precisely why the two-legged final works. It ensures fans in both countries can witness a final in their own city without sacrificing a month’s salary on flights and logistics. It preserves accessibility in a continent where movement is still unnecessarily difficult.
People also forget that CAF experimented with single-leg neutral-venue finals between 2020 and 2022. It did not solve the deeper issue because the problem was never football itself. Nqobile Ndlovu of CashNSport rightly says that the real issue is African connectivity. The conversation should not begin with CAF. It should begin with African governments.
Ndlovu refers to the Yamoussoukro Declaration, Africa’s open skies agreement, which was signed in 2000 to make air travel across the continent easier and more affordable. More than two decades later, implementation remains painfully slow. Visa restrictions continue to divide Africans from one another, while limited direct flight routes make travelling across the continent unnecessarily difficult and expensive.
“Football just makes the problem visible. Open the skies, cut the visa walls, build the routes, and the rest will follow. The problem isn’t for CAF to solve; it’s for African governments. And you, as Africans, should be asking your governments why it is so difficult to travel and move between African countries? That’s the real question,” Ndlovu says.
MIRRORING THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
I completely agree with him. Open the skies. Reduce visa barriers. Build better air routes and transport networks. Then maybe single-venue finals become practical and inclusive for everyone. Until then, expecting CAF to mirror Europe overlooks the vastly different realities of African football.
After experiencing Morocco this week, I was reminded why the away leg remains such a powerful part of the CAF experience.
From the visa process to accreditation, everything was seamless. The transport network made getting around effortless. The hospitality, food, Moroccan tea, reliable WiFi, and world-class facilities created an environment that enabled media professionals to work to the highest standards.
Despite the rivalry on the pitch, the warmth from local media, volunteers and AS FAR supporters stood out just as much as the football itself. Morocco continues to set the benchmark for hosting major sporting events on the continent.
Congratulations to Sundowns on lifting the trophy. Thank you to Morocco for once again demonstrating what world-class African football hosting can look like.
The two-legged final is not holding African football back. If anything, it reflects the continent’s realities better than people care to admit.
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