Asante Kotoko head coach Abdul Karim Zito has emphasized the importance of the 2025 GHALCA Top 4 tournament in shaping his team’s preparations for their upcoming CAF Confederation Cup campaign.
The Porcupine Warriors opened their Top 4 journey with a 2-1 defeat to Ghana Premier League champions Bibiani GoldStars on Wednesday at the University of Ghana Stadium. Both clubs are gearing up for continental competitions, with Kotoko heading to the Confederation Cup while GoldStars prepare for the CAF Champions League.
Zito highlighted the value of the competition, noting that such high-level matches are hard to come by locally and provide the ideal platform to test his squad.
“The Top 4 will help me a lot, especially for those of us going to Africa,” Zito explained. “In Ghana, trying to find matches like this is very difficult. You don’t see Kotoko playing Hearts because they want to strengthen their team, and you don’t see Medeama playing Kotoko in friendlies — it just doesn’t happen. So I will take this tournament as the kind of preparatory matches we need. It gives me the chance to assess the boys and see how best we can approach Africa.”
Kotoko will begin their CAF Confederation Cup campaign against Nigeria’s Kwara United in the first preliminary round, hosting the first leg in Kumasi between September 19–21, before traveling to Ilorin for the return fixture from September 26–28.
Should they advance, the Porcupine Warriors will face a daunting second-round clash with Moroccan heavyweights Wydad Casablanca in October — a tie that could prove pivotal in defining their continental ambitions.
