Shooting Stars will look to defy a difficult historical trend for Nigerian clubs against North African opposition when they face CS Sfaxien in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary-round tie on Sunday.
The Oluyole Warriors travel to Tunisia with a precious 1–0 advantage from the first leg in Abeokuta, but the narrow lead leaves the tie delicately poised.
Lucky Emmanuel scored the only goal of the first leg in the 25th minute at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, giving Shooting Stars an important advantage ahead of their return encounter.
However, protecting that lead in Tunisia represents a major test for the Nigerian side, particularly given the long-standing strength of North African clubs in CAF competitions.
Clubs from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have established themselves as the dominant forces in African club football over several decades.
CAF’s historical review of the Champions League shows just how significant that dominance has become. Since the competition was rebranded as the CAF Champions League in 1997, North African clubs have won 20 of the last 29 titles, with Egyptian clubs particularly dominant.
That continental strength has also created difficult assignments for Nigerian representatives.
Enyimba remain Nigeria’s most successful club on the continent, winning consecutive Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004. They also defeated Tunisia’s Étoile du Sahel 1–0 in the 2004 CAF Super Cup.
But those successes have increasingly been followed by difficult encounters against North African opposition.
In the 2024/25 Confederation Cup, Enyimba finished third in a group containing Egyptian sides Zamalek and Al Masry, while El-Kanemi Warriors were eliminated at the first hurdle.
