African football fans will fix their gaze next Thursday on the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo. The venue hosts the preliminary round draws for the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup for the 2026-2027 season, launching a new journey towards continental glory. Participating clubs and their supporters are waiting eagerly to learn the first fixtures of the new campaign.
Proceedings begin with the CAF Confederation Cup draw at 2pm Cairo time. The CAF Champions League draw follows immediately at 3pm.
Clubs from across the continent will discover their preliminary-round opponents, taking their first steps towards the group stage and, eventually, a shot at the two most prestigious titles in African club football.
CAF confirmed that both ceremonies will be broadcast live on CAF TV, handing fans inside and outside the continent the chance to follow the start of a new season of African club competition.
Egypt line up in the CAF Champions League through league champions Zamalek and runners-up Pyramids. In the CAF Confederation Cup, third-placed Al Ahly take part alongside Egypt Cup runners-up Zed.
Expected exemptions for seeded clubs
The Moroccan website "Sport7" reported that three clubs will skip the first preliminary round of the Champions League on the basis of the continental ranking: South Africa's Sundowns, Tunisia's Esperance and Morocco's Renaissance Berkane.
Egypt's Al Ahly, Algeria's USM Alger and Morocco's AS FAR will also earn an official exemption from the first preliminary round of the Confederation Cup, the report added.
Winning the CAF Champions League brings a cash prize of 6 million US dollars. The CAF Confederation Cup winner pockets 4 million US dollars.
CAF's support for participating clubs runs deeper still. Teams knocked out in the preliminary round will receive a solidarity grant of 100,000 US dollars each, designed to bolster financial stability and encourage participation in continental tournaments.
Preliminary rounds in past seasons have thrown up fierce battles and remarkable stories, pitting the continent's giants against emerging clubs desperate to make their mark on the African stage. All of which fuels expectations of a new season packed with drama and rivalry from the very first ties.
South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns enter the new campaign as CAF Champions League holders. USM Alger arrive as reigning CAF Confederation Cup champions after their triumph last season.