Al Ahly and Africa’s top clubs gain early reprieve in 2026-27 CAF draws

African football will discover the opening-round routes for the 2026-27 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup when the draws take place at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo on Thursday.

The Confederation Cup draw will begin at 14:00 Cairo time, with the Champions League draw scheduled to follow at 15:00.

The ceremonies will determine the first opponents for clubs from across the continent as they begin their attempts to reach the group stage and compete for the two leading trophies in African club football.

CAF has confirmed that both draws will be broadcast live on CAF TV, allowing supporters in Africa and around the world to follow the start of the new season.

Egypt will have four representatives across the two competitions. Zamalek, the Egyptian league champions, and Pyramids FC, who finished as runners-up, will compete in the Champions League.

Al Ahly, who ended the league season in third place, will enter the Confederation Cup alongside ZED FC, the runners-up in the Egyptian Cup.

Seeded clubs avoid first preliminary round

According to Moroccan website Sport7, three clubs will be exempt from the first preliminary round of the Champions League because of their continental ranking.

The clubs named are reigning African champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance de Tunis of Tunisia and RS Berkane of Morocco.

Al Ahly will also benefit from a ranking-based exemption in the Confederation Cup, together with USM Alger of Algeria and AS FAR of Morocco.

The exemptions mean those six clubs will not have to begin their campaigns in the competition’s opening qualifying stage, giving them an early advantage as the continental season gets under way.

The financial rewards will add further significance to the 2026-27 campaigns. The Champions League winners will receive $6m (£4.5m), while the Confederation Cup champions will collect $4m (£3m).

CAF will also continue its financial support for clubs involved in the preliminary rounds. Any team eliminated during those stages will receive a solidarity payment of $100,000, a measure intended to provide greater financial stability and encourage continued participation in African competitions.

The early qualifying rounds have produced a number of notable contests and unexpected stories in recent seasons, with established continental powers facing ambitious clubs determined to make an impact. That history is likely to fuel expectations of another competitive campaign, with significant matches potentially arriving before the group stage.

Mamelodi Sundowns will begin the new Champions League season as holders after winning the competition last season. USM Alger are the defending Confederation Cup champions, having lifted that trophy in the previous campaign.

The two draws will therefore offer the first indication of the route each club must take towards continental success, while the seeded teams will already know they have avoided the first hurdle of the qualifying process.