Kaizer Chiefs, Enyimba Missing As Sundowns Lead the Top 10 Football Teams in Africa

• Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa have been ranked as the best football team in Africa right now
• The latest Opta Power Rankings provided the lowdown on the best teams on the continent
• Nigeria's Enyimba and Congolese side TP Mazembe were not listed in the ranking

Football players from the African continent have continued to improve their influence globally, especially with teams in Europe.

However, some local players have improved the beautiful game despite the fact that African football does not receive the same level of attention obtainable elsewhere.

According to the latest Opta Power Rankings, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa are the best team from the continent, followed by Egyptian side Al Ahly.

Here, we analyse the lowdown on the ten best-ranked African teams.

10. Simba | Rating: 74.8 | Global Rank: 374

Based in the Kariakoo Ward in the Ilala District of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania, Simba FC are ranked tenth, having won 22 Tanzanian Premier League title.

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They are one of the regular teams in the CAF Champions League, but their best was in 1972 when they finished as runners-up to Hafia FC.

9. Etoile Du Sahel | Rating: 74.9 | Global Rank: 362

This is one of the best-supported teams on the African continent. They have won the Tunisian title on 11 occasions, and are one of the three teams that won the CAF Champions League.

They were Tunisia’s first representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2007, managing to reach the semi-final.

8. Young Africans| Rating: 74.9 | Global Rank: 362

Young Africans are one of the most successful clubs from Tanzania, and their triumph during the 2022-2023 league season improved their ranking.

They also reached the final of the CAF Confederation Cup in the last campaign.

7. Fath Union Sport | Rating: 75.4 | Global Rank: 336

FUS are one of the oldest teams in Morocco, and their greatest success came in 2010 when they defeated Sportif Sfaxien of Tunisia in the CAF Confederations Cup final.

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They have not won so much locally, but during the 2015-2016 season, they won the title. Last season, they finished in third position.

6. AS FAR | Rating: 75.8 | Global Rank: 306

AS FAR have never been relegated from the Moroccan elite league as they maintain their status as one of the country’s most successful teams.

They won their 13th Botola title last season after edging rivals Wydad Casablanca by a point.

They are also one of only two Moroccan clubs to win both the CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Champions League.

5. Raja Club Athletic | Rating: 76.6 | Global Rank: 258

This is another well-rated Moroccan team, having won the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup titles twice, respectively.

Raja have never been relegated from Morocco’s top division and have won it 12 times.

4. Pyramids | Rating: 76.8 | Global Rank: 250

East Cairo side Pyramids are a rather newer creation. Initially founded as Al Assiouty Sport in 2008, they were bought ten years later by Turki Al-Sheikh, who owns La Liga club Almería.

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Findings have it that their steady rise has continued, finishing second in the Egyptian Premier League for each of the past two seasons. They were also runners-up in the 2019-20 Confederation Cup.

3. Wydad Casablanca | Rating: 77.9 | Global Rank: 206

Wydad Casablanca are the most successful club in Morocco, and they boast 3 CAF Champions League titles, with the most recent one in 2022.

They have won 22 domestic titles as well, nine more than any other team.

2. Al Ahly | Rating: 79.9 | Global Rank: 143

Al Ahly are the most popular and most successful football club in Africa, winning a staggering 43 Egyptian Premier League titles.

They have also enjoyed continental success more than any other side, boasting 11 CAF Champions League titles. No other team have won it more than five times.

1. Mamelodi Sundowns | Rating: 81.3 | Global Rank: 113

In the latest Opta Power Rankings, South African side Sundowns are number one. They have won the league title on 13 occasions since its inception in 1996.

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They are regulars in the latter stages of the CAF Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals at least in each of the past five seasons. They were the champions in 2016.

African Football League explained

Sports Brief earlier reported that the much-anticipated African Football League (AFL) kicked off in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, on Friday, October 20.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) selected eight elite teams from across the continent for the tournament, initially called the African Super League.

Africa will raise the stakes considerably in a tournament that brings an exciting new continental football product to the world football calendar.