Maghreb de Fes qualify for CAF Champions League group stage

Maghreb de Fes (MAS), one of Morocco's historic professional football clubs, qualified for the group stage of the 2026-2027 CAF Champions League on Sunday after beating Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the second leg of the second preliminary round at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

How the match unfolded

The first half ended goalless before Christopher Ibayi put Maghreb de Fes ahead in the 63rd minute. ASEC Mimosas equalized through Bakary Kevin in the 73rd minute. In stoppage time, Khalid Baba scored the winning goal in the 90+7th minute as the Moroccan side pushed forward in search of qualification. Gabonese official Pierre Atcho refereed the match.

The result gave Maghreb de Fes a 3-2 aggregate win over the two legs, after the first leg in Meknès ended 1-1 on 18 October.

The road to the group stage

Maghreb de Fes reached this stage after eliminating Burkina Faso's Rahimo FC in the first preliminary round, winning 4-1 at home in Fès before a 0-0 draw away in Ouagadougou for a 4-1 aggregate. Across the two preliminary rounds, the Fès club played four matches, winning three and drawing one, before sealing its spot in the group stage.

What comes next?

The group stage of the next CAF Champions League edition will feature sixteen of the continent's leading clubs, and Maghreb de Fes now awaits the official draw to learn its group and opponents. The club joins Raja Casablanca, which already secured qualification with a win over El Kanemi, in a notable Moroccan presence in this season's continental competition.