00:07North Africa is a hotbed of club football.
00:14The strength of the football economies means the best local players can remain in their domestic competitions and not immediately
00:22relocate overseas to earn the club's money.
00:27Consequently, the powerhouses of Egyptian football, Al-Akhli and Zamalek, have taken a stranglehold on the CAF Champions League with
00:36squads of international quality.
00:42An indication of the potential of Egyptian club football is the meteoric rise of Pyramids FC.
00:50Only formed in 2008, an injection of first Saudi, then Emirati investment has led to an unstoppable rise, culminating in
01:00the 2025 CAF Champions League crown.
01:06The best thing about today is you can find all the supporters united together.
01:11You'll find Zamalek and Al-Akhli supporters, families, boys. This is a huge thing that everyone came together. Congratulations to
01:19Pyramids.
01:22The Pyramids have a long way to go to match 12-time champions Al-Akhli, the CAF club of the
01:2920th century.
01:30They have parlayed their regional dominance into four bronze medals at the FIFA Club World Cup, establishing North Africa as
01:38the third most powerful region for club football in the world, behind Europe and South America.
01:47The only North African team to reach the final is Raja Casablanca.
01:51When the tournament was staged in Morocco in 2013, they upset Ronaldinho's Atletico Mineiro before succumbing to Bayern Munich.
02:07Raja's derby with Casablanca rivals, Widad, is one of the most fierce in Africa.
02:13Raja has its roots in trade unionism, while Widad with a club of the Moroccan royal family.
02:21Matches between the pair are now amongst the most dramatic displays of supporter culture in the world.
02:30In Tunisia, the derby between Club Afrika and Esperance steals the show, with 65,000 fans regularly packing the Hamadi
02:40Akhrebi Stadium.
02:47While in Algeria, the Algiers derby between MCA and USM has been overtaken in recent years by the rivalry between
02:56modern powerhouse, CR Belouisdad, and the club that represents Algeria's second largest city, MC Oran.
03:07All of these contests testify to the health of club football in North Africa, and the intensity of support that
03:14characterizes the game in the very best football nations.
03:19Thanks.
03:19Thanks.
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