Three clubs opened their TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 campaigns with victories on Friday, as Zamalek, Al-Swehly, and JS Saoura each claimed narrow but vital first-leg wins in the preliminary round.

Zamalek strike early in Djibouti

Egyptian heavyweights Zamalek made an emphatic start to their continental campaign, defeating AS Port of Djibouti 2-1 away from home. The five-time African champions took control of the tie almost immediately, with Mohamed Shehata opening the scoring inside the first five minutes.

Chico Banza doubled the advantage in the 37th minute, giving Zamalek a commanding 2-0 cushion heading into half-time. AS Port pulled one back in the second half to trim the deficit, but the Cairo side depart Djibouti with a one-goal advantage ahead of the return leg in Egypt next week.

Al-Swehly edge KVZ with late strike

In Libya, Al-Swehly marked their return to African continental competition with a 1-0 home win over KVZ of Zanzibar. Playmaker Abdullah Al-Arfi delivered the decisive moment in the 66th minute, netting what was also the club's first goal of this CAF Champions League campaign.

The slender margin keeps everything alive for the second leg, but Al-Swehly travel to Zanzibar with the upper hand after a disciplined, resolute performance.

Saoura hold firm against Horoya

Algerian side JS Saoura rounded off Friday's action with a 1-0 victory over Guinea's Horoya in a closely fought first-leg encounter. Like the other results of the evening, the margin was tight — a reminder of the fine lines that define the preliminary round, where no team established a commanding lead ahead of the return fixtures.

The first preliminary round first legs are scheduled across 4–6 September, with return matches set for 11–13 September. A total of 61 clubs entered this season's competition, though defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Espérance de Tunis, and RS Berkane received byes directly into the second preliminary round.

Friday's results

Al-Swehly (Libya) 1-0 KVZ (Zanzibar)
AS Port (Djibouti) 1-2 Zamalek (Egypt)
JS Saoura (Algeria) 1-0 Horoya (Guinea)