A week following the conclusion of the African Nations Championship, attention shifts to club competitions across the continent, particularly the Champions League and the CAF Cup.
In the Champions League, 52 teams initially entered the fray. However, two teams, Steve Biko from Gambia and Os Balants from Guinea-Bissau, withdrew from the competition. This development benefits Entente Setif of Algeria and Séwé Sport of Ivory Coast, who are now automatically qualified for the round of 16. They join the teams already exempted from the first round, including Al Ahly of Egypt (the defending champion), El Hilal of Sudan, Espérance of Tunisia, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, CS Sfaxien of Tunisia, and Coton Sport de Garoua of Cameroon.
