The field for the 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group Stage is complete, with all 16 participating clubs confirmed after the conclusion of the Second Preliminary Round on Sunday. Attention now turns to Cairo, where the group stage draw will take place at the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Headquarters on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at 15h00 local time (12h00 GMT).
The draw will sort the 16 clubs into four groups of four, with the top two sides in each group advancing to the quarter-finals. The Group Stage itself is scheduled to begin in November, and the eventual winners will collect a record prize of USD 6 million.
Sundowns stunned in biggest upset of the round
The standout story of the preliminary round was the elimination of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the hands of Angola's Wiliete SC. Founded as recently as 2018, Wiliete held Sundowns to a 1-1 draw in Pretoria — having played out a goalless first leg in Lubango — and advanced on the away goals rule. The result ranks among the most dramatic upsets in the competition's history.
South Africa will still be represented in the Group Stage, however, with Orlando Pirates cruising through on a commanding 5-0 aggregate over Namibia's African Stars, including a 4-0 victory in the return leg.
Former champions fight through
Several historically decorated sides navigated testing encounters to secure their places. Tunisia's Espérance overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Libya's Swehly SC, eventually progressing 3-1 on penalties. Algeria's MC Alger produced a stunning second-half turnaround, netting three unanswered goals to overturn a 2-0 first-leg loss against Nigeria's Rangers International.
Egypt's Zamalek and Pyramids both qualified, beating Rwanda's APR FC and South Sudan's El Merriekh Bentiu respectively, ensuring the host nation has two clubs in the draw. Angola's Petro Atlético also came from two goals down, defeating Zimbabwe's Scottland FC 3-0 in Luanda to go through 3-2 on aggregate.
More comebacks and notable qualifiers
Morocco will be represented by RS Berkane, who eased past Sierra Leone's Star Sport Academy 3-0 on aggregate, and MAS de Fès, who edged Côte d'Ivoire's ASEC Mimosas 2-1 on the night to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Tunisia's Club Africain booked their return to the Group Stage by eliminating five-time continental champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo, winning 1-0 at home for a 2-1 aggregate triumph. Sudan's Al Hilal Omdurman progressed comfortably, finishing 4-0 on aggregate against Ethiopia's Sidama Bunna.
Tanzania provides two of the competition's most emphatic qualifiers in Simba SC and Young Africans. Cameroon's Colombe Sportive defeated Senegal's Teungueth FC 3-0 on aggregate, while Mauritania's FC Nouadhibou overcame Côte d'Ivoire's FC San Pedro 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Group Stage for only the second time in their history. Guinea's Horoya AC completed the lineup, eliminating Sudan's Al Merriekh on penalties after the tie ended 1-1 on aggregate.
The 16 qualified clubs
Al Hilal Omdurman (Sudan), Club Africain (Tunisia), Colombe Sportive (Cameroon), Espérance (Tunisia), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania), Horoya AC (Guinea), MAS de Fès (Morocco), MC Alger (Algeria), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Petro Atlético (Angola), Pyramids FC (Egypt), RS Berkane (Morocco), Simba SC (Tanzania), Wiliete SC (Angola), Young Africans (Tanzania), Zamalek SC (Egypt).
