Africa-Press – Mauritius. Following Saturday’s draw for the Preliminary and Second Preliminary Rounds of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2025/26 at Azam Media Studios in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the competition for the most coveted title in African club football has officially begun.
This season’s campaign will feature a record 62 clubs from around the continent, highlighting the competition’s increasing popularity.
Top-ranked teams Al Ahly of Egypt and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, who have won record titles, have been given byes into the Second Preliminary Round, while defending champions Pyramids FC of Egypt will play APR of Rwanda.
Early on, the draw also produced a number of intriguing fixtures.
Powerhouses from North Africa may meet early when the East End Lions of Sierra Leone play the US Monastirienne of Tunisia.
The victor of this matchup will have a chance to play the Bibiani Gold Stars of Ghana and the Algerian heavyweights, JS Kabylie.
While Benin’s Dadjè FC and Libya’s representative, Libya 1, compete for the opportunity to play Togo’s ASCK or Morocco’s RS Berkane, Liberia’s FC Fassell will try to defeat Senegal’s ASC Jaraaf in order to potentially meet Algeria’s MC Alger.
In other news, Zimbabwe’s Simba Bhora takes on Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs in a match that sets up a matchup with Botswana’s Gaborone United — and eventually Tanzania’s Simba SC — in the next round, while Nigeria’s Remo Stars play Comoros’ US Zilimadjou for the opportunity to play Sundowns.
The winner of the game between Namibia’s African Stars and Vipers FC of Uganda is in the wings as Zambia’s Power Dynamos take on Ivorian powerhouse ASEC Mimosas.
The winner of the match between Niger’s Forces Armées and Tunisian powerhouse Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST) will face Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso and AS Mangasport of Gabon.
As CAF aims to encourage more clubs to participate, as evidenced by the record number of teams registered for the 2025–26 season, teams that withdraw in the first two rounds will get USD 100,000 this season to cover their logistical costs.
First-leg matches in the Preliminary Round will take place from September 19–21, 2025, and second-leg matches will take place from September 26–28, 2025.
The first leg of the Second Preliminary Round takes place from October 17–19, and the second leg takes place from October 24–26.
The knockout stage is scheduled to begin on March 13, 2026, while the Group Stage starts on November 21, 2025.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
