Sundowns begin title defence as 61 clubs learn their CAF Champions League route

African clubs will discover their opponents in the preliminary rounds of the 2026-27 CAF Champions League on Thursday, with the draw taking place at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo.

The draw is scheduled to begin at 15:00 Cairo and Mecca time and will be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube channel.

The 2026-27 competition is the 63rd edition of Africa’s premier club tournament, with 61 teams competing for continental honours. The winners will receive a prize of $6m.

CAF will also pay $100,000 to every club eliminated during the preliminary rounds as part of its policy to increase investment in club competitions and strengthen the level of competition across Africa.

Mamelodi Sundowns are the reigning champions after beating AS FAR of Morocco in last season’s final.

Three clubs exempt from opening round

CAF has given the three highest-ranked participating clubs a bye into the second preliminary round, which is also known as the round of 32.

The exempted teams are Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia and RS Berkane of Morocco. They form the top seeding pot and will face unseeded opposition in the second preliminary round, with the second legs of those ties to be played at their home grounds.

The remaining 58 clubs will contest 29 two-legged ties in the first preliminary round. The winners will join the three exempted sides in the next stage.

The second seeding pot contains 10 clubs: Zamalek and Pyramids FC of Egypt, Petro Atletico de Luanda of Angola, Orlando Pirates of South Africa, Simba SC and Young Africans of Tanzania, Al Hilal of Sudan, ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, Stade Malien and MC Alger.

Those clubs will face unseeded opponents in the first preliminary round. If they progress, they will meet another unseeded team in the following round.

The third pot contains six seeded clubs, while the fourth includes six of the lowest-ranked seeded teams. The draw will produce first-round ties between teams from those two pots, with the winners meeting in the next round.

The fifth pot consists of 36 unseeded clubs, which will be drawn against higher-ranked teams across the two preliminary rounds.

To reduce travel demands, CAF has divided the teams into five pots based largely on geographical proximity.

In a first-round tie between a seeded and an unseeded club, the unseeded side will host the first leg. In other cases, the club drawn first will host the opening match unless an alternative arrangement applies.

Teams from the same country cannot meet in these rounds. If that happens during the draw, the second team selected will automatically be moved to the next tie and a replacement club will be drawn to face the first team.

First-round entrants

The opening list includes Wiliete FC of Angola, who face Foresters FC, with the winners set to play Mamelodi Sundowns.

Other participating clubs are:

– Egypt: Zamalek, Pyramids FC – Morocco: Maghreb de Fes, RS Berkane – Algeria: MC Alger, JS Saoura – South Africa: Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns – Tanzania: Young Africans, Simba SC – Tunisia: Club Africain, Esperance Sportive de Tunis – Angola: Petro Atletico, Wiliete FC – Democratic Republic of the Congo: TP Mazembe, Aigle du Congo – Sudan: Al Hilal, Al-Merrikh – Mali: Djoliba AC, Stade Malien – Cote d’Ivoire: ASEC Mimosas, San Pedro – Nigeria: Rangers International, Rivers United – Libya: Al-Suwaiq – Republic of the Congo: AC Leopards – Zambia: Power Dynamos – Ghana: Medeama – Guinea: Horoya – Botswana: Gaborone United – Mauritania: FC Nouadhibou – Senegal: Teungueth FC – Kenya: Gor Mahia – Cameroon: Colombe Sportive – Mozambique: UD Songo – Togo: ASCK – Uganda: Vipers SC – Eswatini: Nsingizini Hotspurs – Niger: AS Nigelec – Benin: AS Sobemap – Burundi: Aigle Noir – Burkina Faso: Rahimo FC – Central African Republic: Olympic Real de Bangui – Chad: Foullah Edifice – Comoros: Alize Fort FC – Djibouti: AS Port – Ethiopia: Sidama Coffee – Gabon: Mangasport – The Gambia: Medina United – Lesotho: Lioli – Liberia: Watanga FC – Madagascar: CFFA – Malawi: Mighty Wanderers – Mauritius: La Cure Waves – Namibia: African Stars – Rwanda: APR FC – Seychelles: Foresters FC – South Sudan: Al-Merrikh Bentiu – Zanzibar: KVZ FC – Zimbabwe: Scotland FC

The first preliminary-round first legs will be played from 4 to 6 September 2026, with the return matches scheduled for 11 to 13 September.

The second preliminary round will take place from 16 to 18 October, followed by the second legs from 23 to 25 October.

Group-stage and knockout dates

The six group-stage matchdays are scheduled for 27-29 November, 4-6 December and 18-20 December 2026, followed by fixtures from 8-10 January, 15-17 January and 22-24 January 2027.

The quarter-final first legs will be held from 26 to 28 February 2027, with the return matches from 5 to 7 March.

The semi-final first legs are scheduled for 9-11 April, and the second legs for 16-18 April.

The final is due to be played between 9 and 31 May 2027, although the exact dates for the two matches have not yet been confirmed.