Al Ahly headline Confederation Cup draw as Egyptian clubs discover group-stage opponents

Al Ahly will represent Egyptian football in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage when the draw takes place on Wednesday.

ZED FC’s elimination by Tanzania’s Azam FC means Al Ahly are the only Egyptian club remaining in the competition’s group phase.

The draw is scheduled to take place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in 6th of October City on Wednesday, 28 October. The Confederation Cup draw will begin at 14:00 Egypt time, followed by the CAF Champions League draw at 15:00.

The ceremony will be broadcast on ON Sport and beIN SPORTS News.

Confederation Cup draw pots

Al Ahly are in the first pot alongside USM Alger, AS FAR and the winner of the tie between CR Belouizdad and FC Nouadhibou.

The pots are:

Pot one: Al Ahly, USM Alger, AS FAR, winner of CR Belouizdad v FC Nouadhibou

Pot two: Raja CA, Maniema Union, Azam FC, CS Sfaxien

Pot three: Al Ahli Tripoli, Singida Black Stars, Black Bulls, Real de Bamako

Pot four: Etoile Filante, Red Arrows, Primeiro de Agosto, Durban City

The final place in the first pot remains undecided because the tie between CR Belouizdad and FC Nouadhibou has been delayed.

The first leg was originally due to be played on 17 October, with the second leg scheduled between 23 and 25 October. The court subsequently ordered that both matches be postponed after a complaint from Guinea’s Hafia FC.

Hafia FC continues to challenge the decision made by CAF. The Guinean club says FC Nouadhibou’s failure to travel to Conakry on 11 September was caused by organisational shortcomings that could have been avoided, rather than circumstances amounting to force majeure.

FC Nouadhibou failed to arrive for the match at the scheduled time, citing logistical reasons. The game was later played and ended in a victory for the Mauritanian side, but Hafia FC appealed, arguing that there had been no compelling circumstances to justify the team’s absence.

Group-stage schedule

The group-stage matches in both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup will be played on the following dates:

– Matchday one: 27-28-29 November – Matchday two: 4-5-6 December – Matchday three: 18-19-20 December – Matchday four: 8-9-10 January – Matchday five: 15-16-17 January – Matchday six: 22-23-24 January

Teams from the same country are not prevented from being drawn in the same group. That means AS FAR could be placed in a group with Raja CA.