Durban City must win historic CAF Confederation Cup opener – Poggenpoel

Durban City FC midfielder Brooklyn Poggenpoel says his side must secure victory at home against Rukinzo in their first-ever CAF Confederation Cup match, despite a difficult start to their Betway Premiership campaign.

Durban City qualified for Africa’s second-tier club competition after winning the 2025/26 Nedbank Cup. Their reward is a preliminary-round tie against Bujumbura-based Rukinzo, who earned their place by winning the Burundian Cup.

The first leg will be played in Durban on Sunday, with the return fixture in Burundi next week. Poggenpoel believes a positive result at home will be essential before the club faces the challenge of travelling across the continent.

“Obviously, we had a fixture midweek, but the preparation that we’ve put in after that has been good. You know, we haven’t gotten the results that we’ve wanted in the league – we lost one, but we feel we need to convert the draws into wins,” Poggenpoel said.

“But the preparations have been good for this game; the mood is positive in camp, and the technical team’s work has been thorough in terms of analysis and preparing the team for tomorrow.”

Durban City have not been able to watch much African football locally because it is not widely broadcast in South Africa. However, the club’s technical team has studied Rukinzo’s recent league matches and provided the players with detailed information about their opponents.

“They’ve presented to us the trends, what they do, what they don’t do when they don’t have the ball… things like that,” Poggenpoel said.

“But otherwise, I think in terms of analysis, it’s been good. The technical team has been very thorough in their work, so we have a clear idea of what the opposition is gonna bring to the game tomorrow.”

‘We have to win at home’

With the opening match taking place at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Poggenpoel identified home advantage as a key factor in the tie. He said Durban City’s priorities would be to keep a clean sheet and make the most of their opportunities.

“I think it’s a big advantage to have your first fixture at home, and I can’t stress it enough that we have to win,” he said.

“The main priority is obviously not to concede and then to convert our chances. We have to win at home. You know, it’s tough to travel into Africa, especially as South Africans, so it’s of utmost importance to get the result at home to solidify our position going into next week’s away fixture.”

A Betway Premiership fixture will be taking place a little more than 20km away at around the same time, but the Durban City midfielder hopes the club’s supporters will still attend in large numbers for the historic occasion.

“It would be nice to have a good turnout and for the fans to come and support us because we’re not just representing Durban City Football Club but the province and the nation as a whole,” he said.

“So, to have the support and the backing from our people would be something great for us.”

For now, Durban City are concentrating on reaching the group stage rather than looking too far ahead in the competition.

“The first step is to get into the tournament proper and then to go as far as possible,” Poggenpoel said. “But, for now, we’re focusing on qualifying, then getting into the group stages, and then competing and going as far as we can.”

Poggenpoel will also go into the match after being included in Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane’s preliminary squad for the opening two AFCON qualifiers and a friendly against Egypt.

The player said he only learned about his selection when teammates contacted him at about 21:00 the previous night.

“Ja, look, I didn’t even know about that until a few of my teammates sent me text messages around 21:00 last night,” he said.

“So, for me, it’s just about going to the game tomorrow, playing the football game, putting in a good performance for the club – like I always do – and getting the result as a team. Anything else we can focus on after that. But the main focus now is just the game tomorrow.”