The 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League roars back this weekend with 30 first-leg clashes across the continent, the first step on a journey that leads to the group stage in November and knockout rounds next March.
For many of the 62 entrants—a record field—the immediate mission is simple but crucial: build momentum at home, travel wisely for next week’s return legs, and secure a place in October’s second preliminary round, where Africa’s elite lie in wait.
Record 11-time winners Al Ahly of Egypt, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, and defending champions Pyramids FC all bypass this stage. Pyramids will begin their title defence against Rwanda’s APR.
CAF has sweetened the competition with a USD 100,000 subsidy for clubs eliminated in the first two rounds, part of an effort to broaden participation.
The weekend serves up compelling ties, none more so than Sierra Leone’s East End Lions hosting Tunisia’s US Monastirienne—a classic West–North Africa duel. The winner will face either Ghana’s Bibiani Gold Stars or Algeria’s JS Kabylie, one of the competition’s most storied names.
Liberia’s FC Fassell meet Senegal’s ASC Jaraaf in Monrovia, with MC Alger waiting in the next round. In Cotonou, Dadjè FC of Benin test themselves against Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli, with RS Berkane (MAR) or ASCK (TOG) looming beyond.
From Nigeria, Remo Stars open against Comoros champions US Zilimadjou. Victory could earn them a glamorous but daunting tie against Sundowns. Zimbabwe’s Simba Bhora take on Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini, with the possibility of a future Tanzanian derby against Simba SC if they progress.
Zambia’s Power Dynamos and Ivory Coast giants ASEC Mimosas clash in one of the round’s heavyweight contests. The winner could later face Vipers SC (UGA) or African Stars (NAM), both known for aggressive pressing and swift transitions
Elsewhere, Rahimo FC (BFA) host AS Mangasport (GAB), while Niger’s Forces Armées take on Tunisian giants Espérance—a draw that could set up a blockbuster second-round tie.
Conditions may prove as decisive as tactics: coastal humidity in West Africa, altitude in Southern Africa, and punishing travel schedules are expected to test squads as much as the opposition.
The assignment for hosts is clear—keep a clean sheet and build a cushion before the second legs between 26–28 September. Away sides will aim for control, away goals, and ties they can finish on home turf.
Winners of this round progress to October’s decisive second phase (17–19 and 24–26), which will determine the 16 clubs entering the group stage on 21 November. From there, the path winds toward the quarter-finals in March 2026—and a shot at African football’s most prestigious crown.
