Colombe Sportive and Stade Malien set for CAF Champions League opener in Yaounde

The Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde will host an unfamiliar CAF Champions League first-round contest on Sunday, 6 September, when Cameroon’s Colombe Sportive du Dja et Lobo face Stade Malien of Bamako.

The match begins the continental campaign for both clubs and also marks the opening fixture of the 2026/27 season for Colombe Sportive. The Cameroon side are representing their country in African competition for a second successive season.

Ahead of the first leg, attention has turned to the likely line-ups selected by the two coaches. Colombe Sportive manager Richard Towaa has named a 30-man squad for the tie, while Stade Malien head coach Sghir Hammadi has taken 20 players to Cameroon for the high-risk away trip.

The difference in squad size reflects the contrasting approaches to the opening match of the two-leg encounter. Towaa has opted for depth as his team prepare to begin both their domestic season and their continental adventure, while Hammadi has chosen a smaller group for his first match in charge of Stade Malien.

Colombe Sportive

Towaa’s selection gives Colombe Sportive a broad pool of players from which to prepare for the opening round. The club will be aiming to make home advantage count at the Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo before the tie continues.

The Cameroon side’s probable XI is:

Goalkeeper: Edouard Sombang

Defenders: Akoh Anjeh, Atsiga, Cedric Djomo, Michel Junior Mbeleck

Midfielders: Casimis Fokou, Randy Ntuwe, Arthur Yene, Jude Enow

Forwards: Patrick Edzimbii, Steeve Lima

This is the second consecutive season in which Colombe Sportive have carried Cameroon’s representatives’ hopes on the continental stage. Their opening assignment comes against a Stade Malien team beginning a new chapter under Hammadi.

Stade Malien

The Bamako club will travel with a more compact squad for Hammadi’s first game as manager. Twenty players have been selected for the trip, a decision shaped both by the demands of travelling to Cameroon and by the coach’s desire to work with a close-knit group still adapting to his methods.

Stade Malien’s probable line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Drissa Kone

Defenders: Francis Awine, Moussa Coulibaly Baco, Issiaka Samake, Dramane Traore

Midfielders: Mouhamed Dosso, Lassine Bagayoko, Nankoma Keita

Forwards: Souleymane Drame, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, Ousmane Coulibaly Kalaba

The Yaounde meeting is the first competitive test of the new campaign for both teams. Colombe Sportive enter the tie with the larger travelling preparation group, while Stade Malien must begin Hammadi’s tenure with a reduced squad in an away fixture that opens their CAF Champions League journey.