Ahly play down Champions League talk after CAF Confederation Cup confirmation

Al Ahly have moved to distance themselves from any suggestion they pushed to play in next season’s CAF Champions League, after the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed the record African champions will instead compete in the CAF Confederation Cup.

The EFA announced on Saturday that Zamalek and Pyramids will represent Egypt in the CAF Champions League for the 2026-27 campaign, with Al Ahly and ZED FC entering the CAF Confederation Cup.

A source from Al Ahly, speaking to FilGoal.com following the EFA’s statement, said the club had not requested to be moved into Africa’s elite competition.

The source said: “Playing in the Confederation Cup? We did not ask to participate in the Champions League in the first place.”

The clarification comes after the Egyptian authorities had previously approached the Confederation of African Football (CAF) seeking to increase the number of Egyptian clubs allowed to compete in both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.

EFA confirms African representatives

The EFA later formally revealed the list of clubs that will take part in African competitions next season, confirming two representatives in each of CAF’s major club tournaments.

Zamalek and Pyramids will go into the CAF Champions League, while Al Ahly and ZED FC have been entered into the CAF Confederation Cup.

Zamalek’s continental place was only rubber-stamped after the club secured the necessary licence to compete in CAF tournaments, having settled all outstanding cases related to the club at FIFA. That clearance allowed the EFA to name the White Knights among Egypt’s Champions League representatives.

Pyramids, meanwhile, will feature in the CAF Champions League for the fourth consecutive season. The club has become a regular on the continental stage and won the competition once, claiming the title in the season before last.

Ahly return to Confederation Cup

Al Ahly’s presence in the CAF Confederation Cup comes on the back of their domestic league finish, with the Cairo giants ending last season’s Egyptian Premier League campaign in third place.

That position was not enough to secure a Champions League berth under CAF’s allocation rules, but did guarantee a slot in the second-tier Confederation Cup.

It will be Al Ahly’s first appearance in the competition since the 2014-15 season. The club has previously lifted the Confederation Cup once, winning the title in the 2013-14 campaign – their only triumph in that tournament to date.

The decision to enter Al Ahly in the Confederation Cup, and not the Champions League, is therefore in line with both their league placing and CAF’s existing format, despite Egypt’s earlier request for expanded representation.

ZED FC set for historic continental debut

ZED FC have been handed their first-ever opportunity to compete in African competition.

The club earned its Confederation Cup spot by reaching the Egypt Cup final last season, where they finished as runners-up to Pyramids.

That cup run has now propelled ZED FC onto the continental stage for the first time in their history, joining Al Ahly as Egypt’s representatives in the Confederation Cup and completing the country’s four-club contingent in CAF tournaments for 2026-27.