Nigeria’s four clubs now know the opponents standing between them and the 2026/27 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup group stages after the preliminary-round draw held by the Confederation of African Football in Cairo yesterday.
Champions League paths
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Defending Nigerian champions Rangers International will open their campaign against Benin Republic side Sobemap FC in the first preliminary round. If the Flying Antelopes overcome their neighbours, they will meet Algerian champions MC Alger in the next round, with the North African club advancing directly to that stage.
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Rivers United have been paired with Côte d’Ivoire’s FC San Pedro in one of the most eye-catching first-round contests. A victory for the Port Harcourt team would set up a second-round meeting with either Vipers SC of Uganda or Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou, with a group-stage place at stake.
The opening round will be contested across two legs on September 4-6 and September 11-13. The second preliminary round, which determines the group-stage qualifiers, will take place on October 16-18 and October 23-25.
Confederation Cup routes
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El-Kanemi Warriors will begin against UDIB of Burkina Faso. Should the Maiduguri-based club progress, Moroccan powerhouse Raja Casablanca will await them in the second preliminary round.
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Shooting Stars have been exempted from the opening round and will enter in the second stage against the winners of the tie between Sierra Leone’s East End Lions and Tunisian giants CS Sfaxien.
The Ibadan side could therefore face a particularly demanding assignment if four-time Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien come through their first-round match.
Other notable pairings
The Champions League draw also produced several high-profile fixtures. Holders Mamelodi Sundowns will play either Angola’s Wiliete Benguela or Foresters FC from Seychelles. Zamalek of Egypt will meet the winners of the contest between AS Port and APR, while Pyramids FC, ASEC Mimosas, Simba SC, Young Africans, Orlando Pirates and Al Hilal will all start in the second preliminary round.
In the Confederation Cup, Mogadishu City will face Kitara FC for a chance to take on Al Ahly Tripoli. Kenyan champions Tusker FC have been drawn against Al Ahli Madani, and the winners will then play either Al Ghazala or Singida Black Stars.
Former winners AS FAR, CR Belouizdad and USM Alger are among the seeded teams entering the Confederation Cup at the second preliminary-round stage.
Only the teams that win their second-round ties will reach the group phase, leaving Nigeria’s four clubs with demanding yet realistic routes as they aim to establish themselves on the African stage.
