CAF Champions League 2026/27 preview: Africa’s giants lock horns as campaign begins
By Joel Masibo, September 3, 2026The road to African club football’s biggest prize gets underway this weekend as the 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League opens with the first preliminary-round fixtures.
The opening-leg matches are scheduled for Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 6, 2026, with the return encounters set for September 11 to 13, 2026. Clubs that survive the opening stage will then compete in the second preliminary round in October 2026, with first legs taking place between October 16 and 18, 2026 and second legs from October 23 to 25, 2026.
The competition has attracted 61 clubs, although three of the continent’s leading sides will enter the tournament at the second preliminary-round stage. Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis and Morocco’s RS Berkane have all been granted byes.
The preliminary rounds feature a mixture of former continental champions, traditional powerhouses and clubs looking to make their mark on the African stage. For the successful teams, the ultimate objective is to secure a place in the group phase.
CAF has also introduced financial assistance for teams that are knocked out during the preliminary rounds. Each eliminated club will receive USD 100,000 to help meet expenses linked to travel and other logistical requirements. The measure is intended to reduce some of the financial pressure associated with continental competition.
Several eye-catching ties headline the opening round.
Five-time African champions TP Mazembe face a difficult away assignment against Ghana’s Medeama SC. The winner of that tie will subsequently face either Tunisia’s Club Africain or Mali’s Djoliba AC, creating a particularly competitive route to the group stage.
Egyptian giants Zamalek will begin their campaign on the road against Djibouti’s AS Port of Djibouti. Fellow Egyptian side Pyramids FC, meanwhile, have been handed a trip to Kenya where they will take on Gor Mahia.
Orlando Pirates will also start away from home, travelling to Mauritius for a meeting with La Cure Waves, who are making their debut in the Champions League. The winner of that contest will go on to face either Gabon’s AS Mangasport or Namibia’s African Stars.
East Africa will have plenty of interest in the opening round, with Tanzania’s two leading clubs both beginning their campaigns away from home.
Simba SC will visit Malawi to play Mighty Wanderers, while Young Africans SC will travel to Botswana for a clash with Gaborone United, the country’s champions.
Other notable fixtures include Côte d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas against Togo’s ASCK, Sudanese powerhouse Al Hilal versus Burundi’s Aigle Noir, and an all-regional contest involving Angola’s Atlético Petróleos, who travel to Mozambique to meet UD do Songo.
With the preliminary rounds set to determine which clubs progress to the group stage, the new Champions League season promises a demanding start for some of Africa’s biggest names.