Rivers United and Shooting Stars Get $100,000 Each from CAF

Shooting Stars and Rivers United will each get $100,000 from the Confederation of African Football. This is despite their early exits from the 2026/27 continental competitions, reports PUNCH Sports Extra.

CAF announced this solidarity payment during the draws for the preliminary rounds in August. They said clubs eliminated in that stage would receive $100,000 each. This is part of CAF's effort to support teams and boost interest in its inter-club competitions.

“The winners of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League will receive $6m in prize money, while the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup champions will earn $4m,” CAF said.

“Clubs eliminated in the preliminary rounds will each receive a solidarity payment of $100,000, part of CAF’s continued investment in supporting participating teams and increasing engagement in its Interclub competitions.”

In the CAF Champions League, Rivers United faced a surprising elimination by San Pedro from Ivory Coast. This happened on Sunday. The 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League runners-up were knocked out on away goals after the two legs ended 3-3 on aggregate.

Rivers United had a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Ivory Coast last weekend. In the return leg, they fell behind by two goals before they made a late comeback.

Shooting Stars also could not move forward in the CAF Confederation Cup. They lost their first-leg advantage against CS Sfaxien in Tunisia.

They went into the second leg with a 1-0 lead from Abeokuta. But Iyed Belwafi equalized for Sfaxien in the 27th minute. Then Youssef Habchia scored in the 68th minute to put the Tunisian team ahead in the tie.

The Oluyole Warriors were unable to find the goal they needed to keep their campaign alive.

Meanwhile, Nigerian champions Rangers International will meet CAF Confederation Cup winners USM Alger in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League. A place in the group stages is at stake.

El-Kanemi Warriors survived a tough second leg against UDIB in Guinea-Bissau. They lost 1-0 but advanced 3-1 on aggregate in the CAF Confederation Cup. They will also face Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca in the second preliminary round.

Both remaining Nigerian clubs will also get the $100,000 solidarity payment if they do not advance to the group stages.

The first round of the preliminary rounds is complete. The second round is set for October. The group-stage matches will start in November. The finals for the 2026/27 season are planned for May 9 to 31, 2027.

South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns are the current champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League. USM Alger of Algeria won the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup last season.