Continental giants Al Ahly will face either Somali or Ugandan opposition after the draw for the first two Preliminary Rounds in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2026/27 was made on Thursday, as the 56 competing clubs learned their path to the Group Stages.
The Second Preliminary Round will begin from 16-18 October, before the decisive return legs are staged from 23-25 October.
The teams begin their pursuit of one of African football’s most prestigious trophies and the $4 million prize awaiting the eventual champions.
Clubs eliminated during the preliminary stage will each receive a $100,000 solidarity payment from CAF to assist with travel and other logistical costs.
The eight highest ranked clubs have received byes into the Second Preliminary Round, while the other 48 teams will contest 24 two-legged ties in the opening stage.
The 24 winners will join the eight exempted clubs to create a 32-team Second Preliminary Round, from which the 16 victorious sides will advance to the group stages.
Among the most eye-catching potential ties is 12-time TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly’s clash with either Mogadishu CC from Somalia or Kitara FC of Uganda. They will await to see who wins that First Preliminary Round tie.
Defending champions USM Alger have been handed a bye and will enter against either The Panthers FC of Equatorial Guinea or Benin’s ASPAC FC.
The Algerian giants claimed their second TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup crown last season and will be among the leading contenders as they seek to defend the title.
Moroccan heavyweights AS FAR will meet either Chad’s AS PSI or Côte d’Ivoire’s CO Korhogo, while Raja Casablanca face a potential clash with Nigeria’s El Kanemi Warriors or UDIB of Guinea-Bissau.
South African giants Kaizer Chiefs face either Zambia’s Red Arrows or Malagasy representatives FC Rouge.
Chiefs reached the group stages last season and will hope to go further this time, but Red Arrows have significant experience in African club competition and could provide a demanding early test.
Another South African club, Durban City, begin their campaign against Rukinzo FC of Burundi. The winners will face either Mauritius side AS Port Louis 2000 or Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy in the Second Preliminary Round.
CR Belouizdad of Algeria await the winners of the tie between Mauritania’s AS Douanes and Guinea’s Hafia FC, while DR Congo’s AS Maniema Union will take on either UNAM of Namibia or Angola’s Kabuscorp de Palanca.
There is also the prospect of a fascinating second-round meeting between the winners of ES Zarzis of Tunisia and Senegal’s Diambars FC, and either Burkina Faso’s Vitesse FC or AS Real de Bamako of Mali.
Elsewhere, Shooting Stars of Nigeria face Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien in the opening round, with the winners advancing to meet either AF Amadou Diallo of Côte d’Ivoire or Sierra Leone’s East End Lions.
The First Preliminary Round opening legs will be played from September 4-6, with the return matches scheduled for September 11-13.
First Preliminary Round – 16-18 October 2026
Mogadishu CC (Somalia) vs Kitara FC (Uganda)
ZED FC (Egypt) vs ASAS Djibouti Télécom (Djibouti)
Al Hilal Alsahil (Sudan) vs Welwalo Adigrat (Ethiopia)
KMKM SC (Zanzibar) vs Al Ahly Tripoli (Libya)
Al Ahli Madani (Sudan) vs Tusker FC (Kenya)
Al-Ghazala SC Wau (South Sudan) vs Singida Black Stars (Tanzania)
The Panthers FC (Equatorial Guinea) vs ASPAC FC (Benin)
AS PSI (Chad) vs CO Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire)
AS Douanes (Mauritania) vs Hafia FC (Guinea)
El Kanemi Warriors (Nigeria) vs UDIB (Guinea-Bissau)
AF Amadou Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire) vs East End Lions FC (Sierra Leone)
Shooting Stars (Nigeria) vs CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
ES Zarzis (Tunisia) vs Diambars FC (Senegal)
Vitesse FC (Burkina Faso) vs AS Real de Bamako (Mali)
FC Diarra (Mali) vs Nations FC (Ghana)
AS ZAM (Niger) vs ASKO de Kara (Togo)
UNAM (Namibia) vs Kabuscorp de Palanca (Angola)
Red Arrows FC (Zambia) vs FC Rouge (Madagascar)
Durban City FC (South Africa) vs Rukinzo FC (Burundi)
AS Port Louis 2000 (Mauritius) vs Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
Panthère Sportive (Cameroon) vs Rayon Sports FC (Rwanda)
Atomic Ngomé (Comoros) vs Associação Black Bulls (Mozambique)
DC Virunga (DR Congo) vs PTL Bazar Brothers (Seychelles)
Green Mamba (Eswatini) vs CD Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)
Second Preliminary Round – 23-25 October 2026
Mogadishu CC or Kitara FC vs Al Ahly (Egypt)
ZED FC or ASAS Djibouti Télécom vs Azam FC (Tanzania)
Al Hilal Alsahil or Welwalo Adigrat vs KMKM SC or Al Ahly Tripoli
Al Ahli Madani or Tusker FC vs Al-Ghazala SC Wau or Singida Black Stars
The Panthers FC or ASPAC FC vs USM Alger (Algeria)
AS PSI or CO Korhogo vs AS FAR (Morocco)
AS Douanes or Hafia FC vs CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
El Kanemi Warriors or UDIB vs Raja Casablanca (Morocco)
AF Amadou Diallo or East End Lions FC vs Shooting Stars or CS Sfaxien
ES Zarzis or Diambars FC vs Vitesse FC or AS Real de Bamako
FC Diarra or Nations FC vs AS ZAM or ASKO de Kara
UNAM or Kabuscorp de Palanca vs AS Maniema Union (DR Congo)
Red Arrows FC or FC Rouge vs Kaizer Chiefs FC (South Africa)
Durban City FC or Rukinzo FC vs AS Port Louis 2000 or Jwaneng Galaxy FC
Panthère Sportive or Rayon Sports FC vs Atomic Ngomé or Associação Black Bulls
DC Virunga or PTL Bazar Brothers vs Green Mamba or CD Primeiro de Agosto
For more information on the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, please visit www.cafonline.com.
