Group C Matchday 1 Friday, November 21 Al Hilal SC (Sudan) vs MC Alger (Algeria) Kick-off: 4pm Venue: Amahoro Stadium, Kigali Sudanese outfit Al Hilal SC continue to prepare for the CAF Champions League group stage which they kick off on Friday, November 21 when they welcome Algerian side MC Alger at their current home ground Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. The club resumed training after playing out a goalless draw against an Amavubi side of made up of only local players. This was their second friendly match in Kigali, having beaten AS Kigali 2-0 in the previous week. Romanian coach had Laurențiu Reghecampf had winger Jean Claude Girumugisha, goalkeeper Issa Fofana and midfielder Ahmed Salem back in training. They were all on national team duties with Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire and Mauritania respectively. Al Hilal SC are now focused on beating MC Alger to start their quest for CAF Champions League glory on a positive note. “We are building up our game plan and it is good to have good teams in Rwanda which can challenge us before starting group stage matches,” said Reghecampf. Al Hilal and MC Alger are pooled in Group C with last year’s runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, and DR Congo’s St Éloi Lupopo, all of which have rich pedigree and fervent followings. The club hopes to go further in the African club’s premier competition this season after reaching the quarter-finals last season. The Group Stage will kick off on the weekend of November 21–23, with two matchdays to be played before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The competition will then pause during the continental showpiece and resume on the weekend of January 23–25, 2026. The knockout phase will begin on 13 March 2026. The Champions League winners will receive USD 4,000,000 in prize money, while the runners-up will take home USD 2,000,000.
