The Confederation of African Football has announced the clubs that will play in the qualifying rounds of the 2026/27 CAF Champions League. Nigeria will be represented by Enugu Rangers and Rivers United.
The list was shared on Monday on CAF's website. It shows 24 clubs from 12 countries will enter the competition, with two teams from each country. The clubs include Algeria’s Mouloudia Alger and JS Saoura, Angola’s Petro Luanda and Wiliete, Côte d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas and San Pedro, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe and Aigles, Egypt’s Zamalek and Pyramids, Mali’s Djoliba and Stade Malien, Morocco’s MAS Fes and Renaissance Berkane.
Other teams are South Africa’s Orlando Pirates and the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Sudan’s Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, Tanzania’s Young Africans and Simba, and Tunisia’s Club Africain and Esperance.
Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers and Rivers United will start their journey in the preliminary rounds alongside the other clubs from countries with two representatives.
CAF also confirmed that 40 countries will have one team each in the competition. Some of these teams include Medeama from Ghana, Gor Mahia from Kenya, Horoya from Guinea, APR from Rwanda, Vipers from Uganda, Power Dynamos from Zambia, and Scotland from Zimbabwe.
The football body mentioned that the teams from Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Somalia are still to be confirmed because their domestic leagues are not finished. The current league leaders are 15 de Agosto/Leones Vegetarianos from Equatorial Guinea, Canchungo from Guinea-Bissau, and Heegan from Somalia.
CAF stated that the first preliminary round will take place between September 4 and 6. The return legs will be between September 11 and 13.
The second preliminary round is set for October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25.
The group stage will start from November 27 to 29 and continue through December 4 to 6, December 18 to 20, January 8 to 10, January 15 to 17, and January 22 to 24.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for February 26 to 28 and March 5 to 7. The semi-finals will take place on April 9 to 11 and April 16 to 18. The final of the 2026/27 CAF Champions League is planned for May, but the exact date is not yet fixed.
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