African clubs will discover their opening opponents in the preliminary round of the 2026-27 CAF Champions League on Thursday, with the draw taking place at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo.
The ceremony is scheduled for 15:00 Cairo and Mecca time and will be streamed live on CAF’s official YouTube channel.
A total of 61 clubs are competing in the 63rd edition of Africa’s premier club competition, all targeting a place at the continent’s summit and a share of an increased financial reward.
CAF has confirmed that the Champions League winners will receive $6m. Clubs eliminated during the preliminary stages will also be awarded $100,000 each, as part of CAF’s policy of encouraging investment in its club competitions and strengthening the level of continental competition.
Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions after beating Morocco’s AS FAR in last season’s final.
Top three clubs begin in the second preliminary round
CAF has exempted the three highest-ranked participating clubs from the first preliminary round: Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia and RS Berkane of Morocco.
Those teams will form the top seeding pot and enter the competition in the second preliminary round, also known as the round of 32. They will face unseeded opponents and will have the advantage of hosting the decisive second legs.
The other 58 clubs will contest 29 first-round ties over two legs. The winners will join the three exempted clubs in the second preliminary round.
The 61 entrants have been divided into five seeding levels according to their rankings and cumulative results in CAF competitions.
The second level contains 10 seeded clubs: Zamalek and Pyramids FC of Egypt, Petro Atletico de Luanda, Orlando Pirates, Simba SC, Young Africans, Al Hilal, ASEC Mimosas, Stade Malien and MC Alger.
These clubs will meet unseeded opposition in the first preliminary round. If they progress, they will face another unseeded team in the following round.
The third level contains six seeded clubs, while the fourth consists of the six lowest-ranked seeded sides. The draw will create first-round ties between clubs from those two levels, with the winners meeting in the next round.
The fifth level features 36 unseeded clubs, who will be drawn against higher-ranked opponents across the two preliminary rounds.
To reduce travel demands and fatigue, CAF has grouped the clubs into five geographically based pots.
In ties between a seeded and an unseeded club in the first preliminary round, the unseeded side will host the first leg. In other cases, the club drawn first will stage the opening match unless CAF’s regulations specify otherwise.
Clubs from the same country cannot meet at this stage. If such a tie is initially drawn, the second team selected will automatically be moved to the next available pairing and a replacement club will be drawn against the first team.
Clubs listed for the opening round
The first-round list includes Wiliete FC against Foresters FC, with the winner facing Mamelodi Sundowns.
Egypt are represented by Zamalek and Pyramids FC, while Morocco’s clubs are Maghreb de Fes and RS Berkane. Algeria’s entrants are MC Alger and JS Saoura.
South Africa also have Orlando Pirates, alongside Mamelodi Sundowns. Tanzania’s representatives are Young Africans and Simba SC, while Tunisia’s clubs are Club Africain and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Petro Atletico and Wiliete FC represent Angola. DR Congo have TP Mazembe and Aigle du Congo, Sudan have Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, and Mali are represented by Djoliba AC and Stade Malien.
ASEC Mimosas and San Pedro are the clubs from Cote d’Ivoire. Nigeria’s entrants are Enugu Rangers and Rivers United, while Libya have Al-Suwaihli. Congo are represented by AC Leopards and Zambia by Power Dynamos.
Other clubs listed for the competition are Medeama of Ghana, Horoya of Guinea, Gaborone United of Botswana, FC Nouadhibou of Mauritania, Teungueth FC of Senegal and Gor Mahia of Kenya.
Cameroon’s club is Colombe Sportive, Mozambique have UD Songo, Togo have ASCK, and Uganda have Vipers SC. Nsingizini Hotspurs represent Eswatini, AS Nigelec represent Niger, and AS Sobemap represent Benin.
The remaining entrants are Aigle Noir of Burundi, Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso, OIympic Real de Bangui of Central African Republic, Foullah Edifice of Chad, Alizes FC of Comoros, AS Port of Djibouti, Sidama Coffee of Ethiopia, Mangasport of Gabon, Medina United of The Gambia, Lioli FC of Lesotho, Watanga FC of Liberia, CFFA of Madagascar, Mighty Wanderers of Malawi, La Cure Waves of Mauritius, African Stars of Namibia, APR FC of Rwanda, Foresters FC of Seychelles, El Merrikh Bentiu of South Sudan, KVZ FC of Zanzibar and Scotland FC of Zimbabwe.
Dates for the competition
First preliminary-round first legs will be played from 4 to 6 September 2026, with the return matches scheduled for 11 to 13 September.
Second preliminary-round first legs are set for 16 to 18 October, followed by the second legs from 23 to 25 October.
The group stage begins from 27 to 29 November, with the remaining rounds scheduled as follows:
– Matchday two: 4-6 December 2026
– Matchday three: 18-20 December 2026
– Matchday four: 8-10 January 2027
– Matchday five: 15-17 January 2027
– Matchday six: 22-24 January 2027
The quarter-final first legs will take place from 26 to 28 February 2027, with the second legs from 5 to 7 March.
The semi-final first legs are scheduled for 9 to 11 April, followed by the return matches from 16 to 18 April.
The final will be played between 9 and 31 May 2027, although the exact dates for the two final matches have not yet been confirmed.
