Who are FAR Rabat, Mamelodi Sundowns’ challengers in the CAF Champions League final?

However, their defeat to Egypt’s Pyramids FC last season highlighted that they do not always rise to the occasion. Although they boast a more talented squad than their rivals, sometimes, the spirit and determination can prove to be more valuable.

FAR Rabat will certainly bring that determination in abundance, as they quest for their first victory in the tournament since their only prior success in 1985. Back then, they triumphed over AS Bilima from the Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire) in the final.

In that final, the Moroccans achieved a dominant 5-2 victory in the first leg, followed by a 1-1 draw in the return leg, resulting in a comprehensive 6-3 aggregate win.

That remains their sole final appearance until this year, which has seen them embark on an unexpected journey to the championship decider.

Beginning their campaign with a strong 4-1 aggregate win against Real de Banjul from The Gambia in the first round, they followed it up with a similar 4-1 aggregate victory over Guinean team Horoya in the next stage.

The group stage did not start as smoothly, as they lost 1-0 to Tanzanian club Young Africans, but they rebounded to win two and draw three of their subsequent five matches, finishing second in Group B, trailing behind Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

This led to a quarter-final clash with last season’s champions Pyramids FC, where they drew 1-1 at home and secured a 2-1 victory away.

In the semi-finals, they faced fellow Moroccans RS Berkane, entering the tie as underdogs once more. However, they clinched a 2-0 win at home and lost only 1-0 away, earning a 2-1 aggregate win.

Like many clubs, their strength lies in their home form. Since 2007, they’ve lost just once at home in the Champions League (W13 D7), and that defeat occurred in 2023.

Conversely, away from home, they have struggled in the competition, having played 29 matches since 2005, winning just four, alongside nine draws and 16 losses.

Established by Morocco’s king in 1958, the club remains under government ownership and control, with its president being an army general.

The Royal Armed Forces have secured 13 Moroccan championships and 12 Throne Cups, and were the first Moroccan team to compete in continental competitions.

They were promoted to the first division in 1959, just a year after their inception, and dominated the Botola championship until 1970 under the leadership of French coach Guy Cluseau.

Following a resurgence under Brazilian coach José Faria in the early 1980s, they faced a 15-year wait before qualifying for the Champions League again post-1990.

In the interim, they reached the final of the 1997 African Cup Winners’ Cup with French manager Henri Depireux, only to lose to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.

In 2005, they qualified for the Champions League but exited before the group stage, dropping down to the African Confederation Cup, which they won under Mohamed Fakhir with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Nigeria’s Dolphin FC in the final.

They again reached the Confederation Cup final in 2006 but fell to Etoile du Sahel once more. The following year marked their first appearance in the group stage of the Champions League.

Only last year did they re-enter the group stage under veteran French coach Hubert Velud, who regrettably had to step down due to an Achilles ruptured tendon. Nevertheless, Royal Armed Forces topped the group, even finishing ahead of Sundowns in the standings, as both clubs battled to a stalemate in their encounters in Rabat and Pretoria.

After Velud’s departure, Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos took the helm but saw the side eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Pyramids FC, only for them to rebound this year and make a strong run all the way to the final.