When is the Caf Champions League & Confederation Cup group stage draw? Date, time, teams & all you need to know

Simba SC are among the 16 teams that have sealed their places in Caf Champions League group stage. They advanced after eliminating FC Platinum of Zimbabwe 4-1 on aggregate.

Some top teams dropped out of the competition, but it is interesting to see how they will perform in the Caf Confederation Cup, where we have the likes of Namungo FC of Tanzania and Gor Mahia of Kenya for opponents.

Uganda will have no representative in the competitions after Vipers SC and KCCA FC, were knocked out of the Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively. 

KCCA.

As we brace ourselves for the Champions League group stage and the Confederation Cup final preliminary round, Goal looks at when the draw is, which teams are involved, and more.

When is the Caf Champions League group stage & Confederation Cup preliminary draw?

The draw for the Caf Champions League group stage will take place on January 8 from 12h00 GMT (3 pm EAT Time). 

Caf headquarters in Cairo, Egypt is the venue for the draw, which is expected to be attended by representatives of the clubs that are left in the competition.

Teams & how the draw works

In the Champions League, every pot will produce one team for a respective group. No teams from the same pot will be pooled together.

This means Simba will not be with either Petro Atletico or MC Alger in the same group.

Simba SC.

Pot 1: Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Espérance (Tunisia), TP Mazembe (DR Congo).
Pot 2: Zamalek (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Horoya AC (Guinea), AS Vita (DR Congo).
Pot 3: Simba SC (Tanzania), Petro Atletico (Angola), Al Hilal (Sudan)/Asante Kotoko (Ghana), MC Alger (Algeria).
Pot 4: Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Teungueth (Senegal), Al-Merrikh (Sudan), CR Belouizdad (Algeria). 

In the final round of the second-tier competition, teams that were eliminated from the Champions League will play those who made it to the third round in a two-legged affair. The winner will qualify for the group stage of the competition.

Gor Mahia and Namungo will ultimately form part of a group of 16 teams, eight of which will qualify for the group stage.

Goal Kenya.

K'Ogalo dropped to second-tier competition alongside RC Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Nkana (Zambia), Stade Malien (Mali), Young Buffaloes (Eswatini), Enyimba (Nigeria), Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya), CS Sfaxian (Tunisia), FC Platinum (Zimbabwe), Bouenguidi (Gabon), Al Hilal (Sudan)/Asante Kotoko (Ghana), Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana), Sonidep (Nigeria), Raja Casablanca (Morocco), Agosto (Angola).

Teams that have already qualified for the final Confederation Cup round are:

Namungo (Tanzania), Kabylie (Libya), Coton Sport (Cameroon), DC Motema Pembe (DR Congo), Pyramids FC (Egypt), AS Kigali (Rwanda), Napsa Stars (Zambia), US Monastir (Tunisia), Tas Casablanca (Morocco), ASC Jaraaf (Senegal), Etoile Sahel (Tunisia), RS Berkane (Morocco), Salitas (Burkina Faso)  

Azam FC.

Gor Mahia will be aiming at qualifying for the group stage of the Confederation Cup for the third time in a row. 

Namungo are also targeting getting into the group stage in their debut season in the continental competition.

For Wekundu wa Msimbazi, it is the third time they have made it to the Caf Champions League group stage.