ASKO de Kara drop into CAF Confederation Cup after losing Togo crown

ASKO de Kara will begin their 2026-27 African campaign in the CAF Confederation Cup, a competition that represents a significant change in fortunes for one of Togo’s most successful clubs.

The club will face AS ZAM of Niger in the first preliminary round, having qualified for the tournament after finishing runners-up in the Togolese top flight.

ASKO have become familiar faces in the CAF Champions League in recent seasons, but their failure to retain the domestic title means they must now compete at the continent’s second-tier level.

The first leg against AS ZAM is scheduled for 5 September 2026, with the return match due to take place in Lome on 13 September.

ASKO’s immediate priority will be to reach the second preliminary round, where they would meet the winner of the tie between FC Diarra of Mali and Nations FC of Ghana.

The club’s latest continental assignment is another indication of the changing balance of power in Togolese football. For much of the past decade, ASKO de Kara dominated the national championship and established themselves as the country’s leading representative in Africa.

The Kara-based side, known as the Kondonas, won a historic four consecutive Togolese titles between 2020 and 2023. Their run of success made them the outstanding force in the D1 Lonato and secured multiple appearances in the CAF Champions League.

That period also brought the most significant achievement in the club’s recent continental history. During the 2022-23 season, ASKO reached the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, becoming the first modern Togolese club to achieve that feat.

However, their subsequent CAF Champions League campaigns ended during the qualifying rounds, preventing them from progressing to the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.

At home, ASKO’s long-standing supremacy has also been challenged over the past three seasons by local rivals ASCK, the Association Sportive des Chauffeurs de la Kozah.

The increased competition was reflected in the 2024-25 season, when ASCK won the Togolese championship. The same outcome followed in 2025-26, despite ASKO ending the campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over AC Barracuda on the final day.

That result was not enough to alter the final standings, leaving ASKO as league runners-up and handing ASCK the qualifying place for the CAF Champions League.

ASKO must now adapt to a lower level of continental competition while attempting to rebuild their reputation in Africa. Progress against AS ZAM would provide an opportunity to move closer to the group stages and ease the disappointment of their recent early exits.

The tie will also test whether the Kara club has the experience and maturity required to return to the group stage of an African competition after a period in which both its domestic control and continental progress have diminished.