The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold the preliminary round draw for the 2025/26 CAF Champions League tomorrow, Saturday 9 August, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
A record 62 clubs from across the continent will compete in this season’s competition, underscoring the growing scale and competitiveness of African club football.
Among the entrants are reigning champions Pyramids FC of Egypt, 11-time winners Al Ahly, and last season’s runners-up Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
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Nigeria will be represented by Rivers United and Remo Stars, both starting from the First Preliminary Round.
Draw Format and Hosting Rules
CAF has introduced key regulations to promote fairness and excitement in the early rounds:
First Leg Hosting: Both ranked and unranked clubs will host the first leg in the First Preliminary Round.
Same Country Clashes: Should two teams from the same nation be drawn against each other in the Second Preliminary Round, one will be reassigned to avoid domestic clashes at this stage.
Seeded Advantage: Clubs exempted from the First Preliminary Round will host the second leg of the Second Preliminary Round.
Complete List of Clubs by Country
Egypt: Al Ahly, Pyramids FC
Sudan: Al Hilal, El Merreikh
Burundi: Aigle Noir FC
Djibouti: ASAS/Djibouti Tel
Ethiopia: Insurance Company
Kenya: Kenya Police FC
Rwanda: APR FC
Somalia: Mogadishu City Club
South Sudan: Jamus FC (Juba)
South Africa: Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates
Tanzania: Simba SC, Young Africans
Zambia: Power Dynamos
Zimbabwe: Simba Bhora FC
Tunisia: Espérance de Tunis, US Monastir
Morocco: RS Berkane, ASFAR
Benin: Dadje FC
Burkina Faso: Rahimo FC
Cameroon: Colombe Sportive
Central African Republic: AS Tempête
Equatorial Guinea: Fundación Bata
Gabon: AS Mangasport
Ghana: Bibiani Goldstars FC
Liberia: FC Fassell
Libya: Libya 1, Libya 2 (TBD)
Niger: Forces Armées
Sierra Leone: East End Lions
Gambia: Real de Banjul
Togo: ASCK
Algeria: MC Alger, JS Kabylie
Mali: Stade Malien
Ivory Coast: ASEC Mimosas, Stade d’Abidjan
Angola: Petro Atlético, Willete SC
Nigeria: Rivers United, Remo Stars
Guinea: Horoya AC
Mauritania: FC Nouadhibou
Senegal: ASC Jaraaf
Comoros: US Zilimandjou
Congo Brazzaville: AC Léopards
DR Congo: DR Congo 1, DR Congo 2 (TBD)
Eswatini: Nsingizini Hotspurs
Lesotho: Lioli FC
Madagascar: Elgeco Plus
Malawi: Silver Strikers FC
Mauritius: Cercle de Joachim
Namibia: African Stars
Seychelles: Côte d’Or
Uganda: Vipers SC
Mozambique: Associação Black Bulls
Botswana: Gaborone United
Zanzibar: Mlandege FC
Detailed Pot Breakdown for the Preliminary Round
Pot 1
Eight unranked clubs from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan and Zanzibar.
These teams will face each other in the First Preliminary Round, with winners progressing to meet some of the continent’s top-ranked sides in the Second Preliminary Round.
Pot 2
Fourteen unranked clubs from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone and Libya.
They will also begin in the First Preliminary Round, with potential Second Round opponents including top seeds Espérance de Tunis and RS Berkane (Morocco), as well as Pot 5 sides such as AS FAR (Morocco), MC Alger (Algeria), JS Kabylie (Algeria) and Stade Malien (Mali), or Pot 4 teams like Horoya AC (Guinea), US Monastir (Tunisia), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) and AS Pikine (Senegal).
Pot 3
Sixteen unranked clubs from Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Winners from this group will progress to face elite sides such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Simba SC (Tanzania) and Young Africans SC (Tanzania), or Pot 7 teams like ASEC Mimosas, Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Petro de Luanda (Angola) and Rivers United (Nigeria).
They could also draw Pot 6 sides including Al-Merrikh (Sudan), Stade d’Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Vipers SC (Uganda) and Black Bulls (Mozambique).
Pot 4
Horoya AC (Guinea), US Monastir (Tunisia), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) and AS Pikine (Senegal) will enter in the Second Preliminary Round, facing winners from the early fixtures.
Pot 5
AS FAR (Morocco), MC Alger (Algeria), JS Kabylie (Algeria) and Stade Malien (Mali) are protected from meeting top-seeded teams until later stages.
Pot 6
Al-Merrikh (Sudan), Stade d’Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Vipers SC (Uganda) and Black Bulls (Mozambique) could meet winners from the Pot 3 fixtures in the next stage.
Pot 7
ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Petro de Luanda (Angola) and Rivers United (Nigeria) will avoid other high-ranked sides in their opening fixtures.
Analysis
The 2025/26 season sets a new record for participation, signalling the expanding reach and competitive nature of African club football.
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North African clubs continue to dominate CAF competitions, with 8 of the top 10 ranked teams from this region, but there is increasing competition from West and Central African sides.
Nigerian clubs Rivers United and Remo Stars face a tough challenge, entering the competition from the preliminary stages with potential early matchups against seasoned sides like ASEC Mimosas and Orlando Pirates.
Meanwhile, unranked clubs from smaller football nations have the opportunity to make breakthrough runs, adding fresh intrigue to the tournament.
