CAF club competitions to expand

Johannesburg - The group stage of the annual CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup competitions will increase from eight clubs to 16 from 2017, it was announced Wednesday.

CAF president Issa Hayatou told a meeting of officials from the African football governing body in Mexico City that the new format will feature four four-club mini-leagues.

Since the creation of the flagship CAF Champions League in 1997, there have been two groups of four clubs.

Initially, the mini-league winners qualified for the final. Semi-finals were introduced from 2001, allowing group runners-up to also be involved in the penultimate stage.

The Confederation Cup is the second-tier African club competition with a similar format to the Champions League.

Prize money in both competitions is expected to rise with Hayatou confirming a new 12-year media and marketing deal worth more than one billion dollars (875 million euros).

The Champions League winners currently receive €1.3m and the Confederation Cup winners €580 000.

CAF officials are in Mexico to attend a FIFA congress.