The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 First Preliminary Round reaches its decisive phase this week, as clubs across the continent prepare for return legs that will determine who advances to the Second Preliminary Round.

Strong positions for the heavyweights

Several of African football's most decorated clubs arrive at the second legs holding valuable away advantages. Egypt's Pyramids FC lead the way after a commanding 2-0 victory over Kenyan champions Gor Mahia in Nairobi, leaving the Egyptian side firmly in control of their tie.

Five-time African champions TP Mazembe edged Medeama SC 1-0 in the Ghanaian mining town of Tarkwa, giving the DR Congo giants a narrow lead to protect at home in Lubumbashi. Tanzania's Simba SC are also ahead after Anicet Oura's second-half strike secured a 1-0 win against Mighty Wanderers in Malawi.

Sudan's Al Hilal are in an even stronger position, having beaten Burundi's Aigle Noir 2-0 on the road, while Egypt's Zamalek SC claimed a 2-1 away win against AS Port in Djibouti. Angola's Atlético Petróleos and Senegal's Teungueth FC both recorded 1-0 victories in their respective first legs.

Emphatic first-leg results

Angola's Wiliete delivered one of the most decisive performances of the opening round, thrashing Seychelles' Foresters FC 4-0 to place themselves in a commanding position. Morocco's Maghreb de Fès were equally ruthless, dispatching Burkina Faso's Rahimo FC 4-1.

Gabon's AS Mangasport carry a 3-1 advantage into their trip to Namibia to face African Stars, while Madagascar's CFFA secured a 2-0 win over Lesotho's Lijabatho.

History made and ties left open

Aigles du Congo marked their debut in CAF Interclub competition with a 1-0 victory over Rwanda's APR FC, with Soze Zemanga scoring the club's first-ever goal on the continental stage — a landmark moment for the Congolese side.

Perhaps the most intriguing story of the opening round came from the island of Mauritius, where La Cure Waves held South African giants Orlando Pirates to a goalless draw. The Mauritian champions, appearing in the CAF Champions League for the first time, now travel to South Africa for one of the toughest return fixtures on the schedule.

El Merriekh Bentiu of South Sudan, Algeria's JS Saoura, and Libya's Swehly SC each take 1-0 leads into their respective return matches, keeping their ties firmly in the balance.

What is at stake

Clubs that survive the Preliminary Rounds will enter a competition where the stakes grow with every passing round. CAF has confirmed that clubs eliminated at the preliminary stage will each receive a USD 100,000 subvention to offset travel and logistical costs.

At the top of the prize structure, the club crowned champion at the end of the 2026/27 season stands to collect a record USD 6 million — the highest prize in the history of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

First Preliminary Round — second leg fixtures

All times are GMT

Thursday, 11 September 2026
15h00: Foresters FC v Wiliete de Benguela

Friday, 11 September 2026
14h00: Sobemap FC v Rangers Int'l FC — 16h00: APR FC v Les Aigles du Congo

Saturday, 12 September 2026
13h00: Al Hilal SC v Aigle Noir FC — 13h00: Heegan SC v El Merriekh SC Bentiu — 13h00: African Stars v AS Mangasport — 13h00: Power Dynamos FC v Al Merreikh SC — 13h00: Orlando Pirates FC v La Cure Waves SC — 13h00: Nsingizini Hotspurs v Scottland FC — 14h00: Lijabatho FC v CFFA — 14h00: TP Mazembe v Medeama SC — 15h00: Atlético Petróleos v UD do Songo — 15h00: Rahimo FC v MAS Fès — 16h00: Young Africans SC v Gaborone United FC — 16h00: Djoliba AC de Bamako v Club Africain — 16h30: Medina United FC v Star Sport Academy — 17h00: Zamalek SC v AS Port — 19h00: MC Alger v ASN Nigelec

Sunday, 13 September 2026
12h00: KVZ FC v Swehly SC — 13h00: Simba SC v Mighty Wanderers — 15h00: Rivers United v FC San Pedro — 16h00: Stade Malien v Colombe Sportive DL — 16h00: ASEC Mimosas v ASCK — 16h00: Sidaama Buna FC v Aiglons FC N'Djamena — 16h00: Horoya AC v JS Saoura — 17h00: Pyramids FC v Gor Mahia FC — 17h00: FC Nouadhibou v Vipers SC — 17h00: Teungueth FC v FC Canchungo

Saturday, 3 October 2026
12h00: Fomboni FC de Moheli v 15 de Agosto

For more information, visit cafonline.com.