CAF Champions League draw set to map out road to 2026-27 group stage

The draw for the first two preliminary rounds of the 2026-27 CAF Champions League will take place on Thursday, with several of Africa’s leading clubs aiming to begin their routes to the group stage.

The ceremony will be held at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo at 15:00 local time, 12:00 GMT and 14:00 in France. It will be broadcast live on CAF TV.

The draw will launch a new continental campaign that is expected to be unusually open, with a number of established powers absent from the competition.

For the first time in 23 years, record 12-time champions Al Ahly will not feature in the CAF Champions League. They failed to qualify through their domestic championship, as did AS FAR Rabat, who were beaten finalists in the previous edition.

Wydad Casablanca, who count Morocco international Hakim Ziyech among their recent high-profile players, and Raja Casablanca will also miss out after failing to secure qualification through their respective leagues.

Several major clubs will nevertheless be involved, including five-time winners TP Mazembe. The Democratic Republic of the Congo side were absent from continental competition last season but will attempt to re-establish themselves among Africa’s leading teams.

Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns will begin their bid to retain the trophy, while RS Berkane and Esperance Tunis are expected to be among the most difficult opponents after reaching the semi-finals last season.

Pyramids FC, champions of Africa in 2025, will be looking to recover from their quarter-final exit in the previous campaign. ASEC Mimosas, quarter-finalists in 2024, will also return with the aim of making amends after being eliminated in the first preliminary round last season.

Three clubs could avoid opening round

Current projections suggest that only three teams will be exempt from the first preliminary round. Mamelodi Sundowns, Esperance Tunis and RS Berkane are the leading candidates for those places, although CAF is yet to confirm the final allocation before the ceremony begins.

Every other entrant is expected to face two knockout rounds on the way to the group stage. The winners of those ties will make up the 16-team group-stage line-up.

The preliminary rounds will therefore provide the first significant test of the new campaign, while also determining which clubs remain in contention for the continent’s biggest prize.

There is substantial financial motivation as well as sporting prestige. The eventual CAF Champions League winners will receive $6m.

Clubs eliminated during the preliminary rounds will also receive financial support. CAF will pay each of them a solidarity allowance of $100,000, introduced to help teams meet the considerable costs associated with taking part in its inter-club competitions.

With Al Ahly, AS FAR Rabat, Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca absent, the competition has lost several of its traditional heavyweights before the first ball is kicked. The draw in Cairo will establish the opening fixtures and begin to show whether the returning TP Mazembe, defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns or one of the other leading contenders can build an early route towards the group stage and, ultimately, the title.