One of Africa’s biggest football clubs, Wydad Athletic Club is keen to add to its impressive record the African Football League (AFL) title.
Wydad Athletic Club, who won the first leg of the African Football League (AFL) final 2-1 against Mamelodi Sundowns, will look to preserve their lead in Sunday’s second leg at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria to claim the first-ever trophy of this prestigious competition.
The club based in the Moroccan economic capital can count on a solid squad and a coach who, over the course of the matches, manages to make his mark.
A win in this tournament would help to bolster the club’s already impressive record of three CAF Champions League trophies won in 1992, 2017 and 2022, a CAF Cup Winners’ Cup trophy (2002) and a CAF Super Cup title (2018).
Locally, it is the most successful club with 22 championship trophies. That is nine more than the next club Fath Union Sports (13 trophies). Raja Casablanca another top Morrocan club have won the championships 12 times.
The creation of Wydad Casablanca dates back to between 1937 and 1939. Locals who did not have access to swimming pools came up with the idea of setting an entirely Morrocan club.
King Mohammed V personally authorized the creation of the club beginning with a water polo section followed by a basketball and a football sections later.
They played their first season in the Moroccan top league in the 1939-1940 season and have gone 84 seasons without being relegated-the only team in Morocco never to have been relegated.
Wydad currently occupy second place in the ranking of the best football clubs in Africa, behind Egypt’s Al Ahly. The club hosts its matches at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca. Its colours are: red (home), white (away) and black (neutral ground). The headquarters of the club chaired by Said Naciri is located at the Mohamed Benjelloun Complex, Avenue des sports, Oasis, Casablanca.
The most capped player in the team’s history is Fakhreddine Rajhi, who played 569 games for the “Red Fortress” between 1974 and 1994. Top scorer in the team’s history with 298 goals, he is also the most successful with 18 trophies, including 7 in the league.
