The African Cup of Champions Clubs 1972 was the 8th edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CAF region (Africa), the African Cup of Champions Clubs. It determined that year's club champion of association football in Africa.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April - 22 December 1972 |
| Teams | 26 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Hafia FC (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Simba FC |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Goals scored | 154 (3.42 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Godfrey Chitalu(13 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Chérif Souleymane |
The tournament was played by 26 teams and used a knock-out format with ties played home and away. Hafia FC from Guinea won the final, becoming CAF club champion for the first time and the first Guinean team to win the trophy.
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ASFA Ouagadougou  | 1–4 |  Djoliba AC | 1–3 | 0–1 |
Aigle Nkongsamba  | 3–2 |  Olympic Real de Bangui | 3–1 | 0–1 |
Al-Ahli Tripoli  | w/o1 |  Al-Merrikh | — | — |
ASFA  | 6–2 |  AS Cotonou | 3–0 | 3–2 |
| Hafia FC | 5–2 |  ASFAN | 4–1 | 1–1 |
Hearts of Oak  | w/o2 |  Abaluhya United | — | — |
Majantja  | 2–11 | Kabwe Warriors | 2–2 | 0–9 |
AS Saint Michel  | 2–1 |  Young Africans | 2–0 | 0–1 |
Saint-George SA  | 4–2 |  Lavori Publici | 3–1 | 1–1 |
TP Mazembe  | 3–1 |  AS Police | 2–0 | 1–1 |
1Al-Merrikh withdrew.
2Abaluhya United withdrew.
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Africa Sports  | 3–7 | TP Mazembe | 1–2 | 2–5 |
| Canon Yaoundé | 4–6 | Hafia FC | 3–2 | 1–4 |
Dynamic Togolais  | 4–5 | Aigle Nkongsamba | 1-1 | 3-4 |
| ASFA | 2–2 | Djoliba AC | 2–0 | 0–21 |
Ismaily  | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Al-Ahli Tripoli | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Kabwe Warriors | 5–1 | AS Saint Michel | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Simba FC | 5–1 | Saint-George SA | 4–0 | 1–1 |
WNDC Ibadan  | 1–3 | Hearts of Oak | 1–0 | 0–3 |
1 After the match had finished 2-0 to Djoliba AC, leaving the aggregate level at 2–2, AS Forces Armées (Dakar) refused to take part in the penalty shootout to protest the officiating; they were ejected from the competition and banned from CAF competitions for three years.
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli Tripoli | 1–4 | Simba FC | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Hafia FC | 4–2 | Djoliba AC | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Hearts of Oak | 8–4 | Kabwe Warriors | 7–2 | 1–2 |
| TP Mazembe | 6–2 | Aigle Nkongsamba | 4–1 | 2–1 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearts of Oak | 1–2 | Simba FC | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| TP Mazembe | 3–4 | Hafia FC | 3–2 | 0–21 |
1 TP Mazembe refused to play the 2nd leg contesting the eligibility of the referees assigned by CAF: TP Mazembe were ejected from the competition, and CAF awarded Hafia FC a 2–0 victory.
Final
| Hafia FC | 4–2 | Simba FC |
|---|---|---|
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| Simba FC | 2–3 | Hafia FC |
|---|---|---|
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Champion
| African Cup of Champions Clubs 1972 Winners |
|---|
 |
| Hafia FC First Title |
Top scorers
The top scorers from the 1972 African Cup of Champions Clubs are as follows:
| Rank | Name | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godfrey Chitalu | Kabwe Warriors | 13 |
| 2 | Chérif Souleymane | Hafia FC | 4 |
| 3 | N’Jo Léa | Hafia FC | 2 |
| Petit Sory | Hafia FC | 2 | |
| Tolo | Hafia FC | 2 | |
| Denis Obua | Simba FC | 2 | |
| Kamunda Tshinabu | TP Mazembe | 2 | |
| Oliver Musonda | Kabwe Warriors | 2 | |
| Boniface Simutowe | Kabwe Warriors | 2 |