WeeklySA_AdminHONOURS: From defending champions to fallen giants, five of African football’s leading coaches enter the 2026/27 CAF Interclub Competitions carrying the expectations of clubs hungry for continental glory…
By Own Correspondent
The 2026/27 CAF Interclub Competitions will place some of African football’s leading coaches under immediate pressure as the continent’s biggest clubs begin their pursuit of continental honours.
Rulani Mokwena faces the challenge of keeping Pyramids FC among Africa’s elite, while Miguel Cardoso will attempt to build on his success with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Abdeslam Ouaddou takes an ambitious Orlando Pirates side back onto the continental stage, Bubista begins a new chapter with Moroccan outfit RS Berkane, and Hussein Ammouta has been handed the responsibility of restoring Al Ahly’s authority in Africa. The five coaches enter the campaign with vastly different challenges, but each will work under enormous expectations at clubs targeting major silverware.
Here are the five coaches to watch as the new CAF season gets under way.
Rulani Mokwena – Pyramids FC
Rulani Mokwena has accepted one of the most demanding assignments in African club football after being appointed Pyramids FC coach ahead of the new season. The 39-year-old South African succeeded Krunoslav Jurcic, who guided the Egyptian side to CAF Champions League glory.
Mokwena is therefore not taking charge of a club merely hoping to challenge for continental honours. He inherits a team accustomed to competing with Africa’s best and will be expected to sustain its progress.
His experience at Mamelodi Sundowns means he is already familiar with the demands of elite African club football. The Pyramids position, however, gives him another opportunity to demonstrate his ability to build a successful side around his own tactical ideas. Mokwena’s preference for possession-based, attacking football should make Pyramids one of the more intriguing teams to follow. His greatest test could be managing the expectations created by the club’s recent success.
Winning continental silverware is difficult enough; maintaining those standards after a title-winning campaign can be even harder.
A strong run would reinforce Pyramids’ emergence as a lasting force in African football and further enhance Mokwena’s reputation as one of the continent’s most highly regarded young coaches.
Miguel Cardoso – Mamelodi Sundowns
Miguel Cardoso enters the new season facing the challenge of maintaining the high standards he has established at Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Portuguese coach guided Sundowns to CAF Champions League glory in 2025/26, adding another continental crown to the club’s collection.
That success has inevitably raised expectations.
Sundowns will begin the campaign as one of the teams to beat, with opponents fully aware of the quality, depth and continental experience within Cardoso’s squad.
The coach will need to keep his players motivated while managing the physical demands of competing on both domestic and continental fronts.
There will also be tactical challenges. Teams facing Sundowns are increasingly likely to adopt cautious approaches, forcing Cardoso’s players to find different solutions against opponents primarily concerned with denying them time and space.
How effectively he handles squad rotation, tactical adjustments and the expectations surrounding the champions could determine the extent of their challenge. Another deep continental run would strengthen Cardoso’s standing and potentially lay the foundations for a lasting period of dominance.
Abdeslam Ouaddou – Orlando Pirates
Few coaches enter the continental campaign with more domestic momentum than Abdeslam Ouaddou.
The Moroccan guided Orlando Pirates through a remarkable 2025/26 season, ending the club’s long wait for the South African league championship and completing a historic treble.
He was subsequently named Coach of the Season.
Perhaps his biggest achievement was ending Mamelodi Sundowns’ eight-season grip on the domestic championship. Those successes have transformed expectations around Pirates. The Buccaneers must now demonstrate that their domestic resurgence can translate into continental success.
The CAF Champions League will provide a different examination of Ouaddou’s coaching credentials. Continental competition brings long-distance travel, contrasting playing conditions and opponents with vastly different tactical approaches.
Ouaddou must prove that the methods that delivered success in South Africa can be adapted to the demands of football across the continent.
His outstanding first season has also created a difficult benchmark against which future performances will be measured.
A deep Champions League run would reinforce the belief that Pirates are ready to re-establish themselves among Africa’s leading clubs.
Bubista – RS Berkane
Bubista begins his first CAF Champions League campaign with RS Berkane following one of the most remarkable periods of his coaching career. The Cape Verdean made history by guiding his country to its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026.
Cape Verde went even further in North America, reaching the Round of 32 before pushing eventual finalists Argentina all the way in a 3-2 extra-time defeat. That campaign significantly enhanced Bubista’s reputation, but club football presents a very different challenge.
He left the Cape Verde national team to take charge of RS Berkane on a two-year contract. Given the Moroccan club’s recent performances in Africa, expectations will be high.
Berkane reached the CAF Champions League semi-finals last season and will expect to compete in the latter stages once again.
Bubista’s ability to mould Cape Verde into a disciplined and competitive side was central to his success at international level. His challenge is to transfer those qualities to the relentless demands of club football. Unlike the international game, club management gives coaches more time with their players but also subjects them to the constant pressure of weekly results.
Another strong continental campaign could establish Bubista among the most highly regarded African coaches in the club game.
Hussein Ammouta – Al Ahly
Hussein Ammouta will arguably operate under the greatest scrutiny of the five coaches after taking charge of Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
The Moroccan joined the club on a two-year contract in June 2026, succeeding Jess Thorup.
At Al Ahly, expectations are never modest. The Cairo giants are accustomed to competing for major honours, particularly on the African stage, and Ammouta arrives after a disappointing continental campaign last season. His immediate task is to restore the club’s authority in Africa.
The CAF Confederation Cup offers Al Ahly an opportunity to respond. They will be among the competition’s most closely watched teams and will be expected to challenge strongly for the trophy.
Ammouta brings considerable knowledge of African football and a reputation for tactical organisation. Coaching Al Ahly, however, involves pressures that extend far beyond tactics.
Every result and performance will be scrutinised, while his ability to deliver in decisive matches will ultimately define his tenure.
For Ammouta, the mission is clear: transform one of African football’s most decorated clubs into a dominant continental force once again. – CAFonline
