Africa’s leading club competition returns this weekend with 61 teams entered in the 2026/27 CAF Champions League and a demanding preliminary phase separating most of the field from the 16-team group stage.
The first preliminary-round legs will be played from 4 to 6 September, with return matches from 11 to 13 September. The second preliminary round follows in October, after which 16 clubs will advance to the group stage, according to CAF.
Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis and Morocco’s RS Berkane have received byes into the second preliminary round, leaving several other established African clubs to begin their campaigns immediately.
Big clubs face early tests
One of the standout opening ties sends five-time African champions TP Mazembe against Ghana’s Medeama SC. Pyramids FC travel to Nairobi to face Gor Mahia, while Orlando Pirates begin away against Mauritian debutants La Cure Waves.
Tanzania’s Simba SC travel to Malawi to meet Mighty Wanderers, Young Africans face Gaborone United of Botswana, and Côte d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas meet ASCK of Togo.
The preliminary rounds are often among the competition’s most difficult phases operationally. Clubs must manage long-distance travel, different playing conditions and two-legged knockout football before the group stage begins.
CAF increases financial support
CAF says every club eliminated during the preliminary rounds will receive $100,000 in financial support to assist with travel and logistical costs. That intervention reflects the financial burden associated with continental competition, particularly for clubs travelling across large distances without the commercial resources of Africa’s biggest teams.
The economics of the competition have also changed at the top. CAF says the Champions League winner now receives a record $6 million prize, increasing the commercial importance of progressing deep into the tournament.
Sundowns begin as the benchmark
Sundowns enter the new season as defending champions after defeating AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate in last season’s final. Their title was the South African club’s second continental crown and reinforced their position among Africa’s leading teams.
CAF has also highlighted Espérance, Pyramids, Orlando Pirates, Zamalek, TP Mazembe and RS Berkane among the clubs to watch this season. The field combines traditional continental powers with clubs whose recent investment and domestic success have strengthened their ambitions.
That competitive depth makes the preliminary rounds more than a formality. Several high-profile clubs have difficult routes simply to reach the group stage, and early elimination can carry both sporting and financial consequences.
For supporters across the continent, this weekend begins a long route toward the final. For the clubs, the immediate objective is simpler: survive the first two-legged test and stay in the race for Africa’s biggest club prize.
Sources
- CAF: 2026/27 Champions League first preliminary round
- CAF: Clubs to watch in the 2026/27 Champions League
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