The 2020–21 CAF Champions League group stage started on 12 February and ended on 10 April 2021.[1] A total of 16 teams competed in the group stage to decide the eight places in the knockout stage of the 2020–21 CAF Champions League.[2]
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 8 January 2021, 12:30 GMT (14:30 local time, UTC+2), at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.[3][4] The 16 teams, all winners of the first round of qualifying, were drawn into four groups of four.
The teams were seeded by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses). Each group contained one team from each of Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4, and each team was allocated to the positions in their group according to their pot.[5][6]
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The winners and runners-up of each group will advance to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage.
Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order (Regulations III. 20 & 21):[2]
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Away goals scored in all group matches;
Drawing of lots.
Schedule
The schedule of each matchday is as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[1] Kick-off times are fixed at 13:00 (Saturdays only), 16:00 and 19:00 GMT.
^The Al Ahly v Al Merrikh match, originally scheduled to be played on 13 February 2021, was rescheduled to be played on 16 February 2021 due to Al Ahly's participation in the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar between 4 and 11 February 2021.[7]
^ abThe CR Belouizdad v Mamelodi Sundowns match, originally scheduled to be played at Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers[note 3] on 24 February 2021, was postponed due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic imposed by Algeria on travelers from South Africa out of concern of the variant 501.V2.[8] The match was later rescheduled to be played outside Algeria on 28 February 2021 at National Stadium, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).[9]
^ ab"2020 - 2021 IC Season (Final)" (PDF). CAF. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
^ ab"CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
^"What you should know on CAF Interclub competitions 2020/21?". CAF. 5 January 2021.
^"Thrilling pairings as 2020/21 CL Group Stage draw conducted". CAF. 8 January 2021.
^"Draw Procedure of the 2020-21 Total CAF CL". CAF. 8 January 2021.
^"Draw Procedure of Total CAF Champions League 2020/21 - Group Matches" (PDF). CAF. 8 January 2021.
^"كاف يعلن تأجيل مواجهة الأهلي والمريخ بسبب مونديال الأندية" [FIFA Club World Cup: CAF postpone Al Ahly and Al Merrikh in the Champions League due to tight schedule]. FilGoal (in Arabic). 21 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
^"Mamelodi Sundowns receive similar treatment to Kaizer Chiefs as CAF Champions League fixture is postponed". Goal. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ ab"Update on TOTAL CAF Champions League fixtures". CAF. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^"Kaizer Chiefs denied entry into Morocco over Covid-19 protocols". Futaa. 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.