The CAF Champions League. returns for the 2026/27 season, with 61 clubs entered and Mamelodi Sundowns defending the title they won in May after beating AS FAR.
Format
Sundowns, along with Espérance de Tunis and RS Berkane, have been exempted from the First Preliminary Round as the continent’s three highest-ranked clubs, entering instead at the Second Preliminary Round.
The remaining 58 clubs have been split into levels based on their CAF rankings and will contest 29 two-legged ties in the First Preliminary Round, with the winners advancing to join the three exempted sides in a 32-team Second Preliminary Round.
The 16 winners of that round progress to the group stage.
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Key dates
The First Preliminary Round first legs are scheduled for 4-6 September 2026, with return legs from 11-13 September. The Second Preliminary Round follows on 16-18 October, with return fixtures from 23-25 October.
The group stage runs from November 2026 through January 2027, with the final played between 9-31 May 2027.
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South African involvement
Both Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates are involved this season. Sundowns enter at the Second Preliminary Round as defending champions and one of the tournament’s top-ranked sides.
Pirates, placed in Level 2 alongside clubs such as Zamalek, Pyramids and Simba SC, will need to navigate the First Preliminary Round. The PSL Champions begin their campaign this weekend against Mauritian debutants La Cure Waves, with the winner of Gabon’s AS Mangasport and Namibia’s African Stars awaiting in the next round.
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Prize money
The winners of the 2026/27 CAF Champions League will collect $6 million in prize money. The champions also qualify automatically for the 2027/28 edition of the competition and will face the winners of the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup in the 2027 CAF Super Cup.
Photo: Abdelmjid Rizkou/Gallo Images
