The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) has confirmed the draw procedure for the Preliminary Round and Second Preliminary Round of the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, set to take place on Saturday, 09 August in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
A total of 58 clubs have entered this season’s competition, featuring several continental heavyweights and ambitious debutants. The draw will be conducted at Azam Media Studios at 13h00 local time (10h00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on CAF’s YouTube channel and through CAF’s broadcast partners.
This season, teams eliminated in the first two rounds will each receive USD 100,000 to assist with logistical costs, as CAF continues its strategy of encouraging broader participation and competitive balance across the continent.
The road to the 2025/26 title will begin with the Preliminary Round between 19–21 September (first leg) and 26–28 September (second leg).
With 58 teams registered, six clubs – including former continental champions and recent finalists – have received byes into the Second Preliminary Round based on their CAF Club Rankings.
Exempted clubs: Wydad AC (Morocco), USM Alger (Algeria), CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Zamalek SC (Egypt), Al Masry SC (Egypt), Stellenbosch FC (South Africa)
The remaining teams have been divided into three pots according to their CAF Club Ranking and geographical proximity, taking into account regional unions such as UNAF, WAFU, CECAFA, COSAFA, and UNIFFAC.
POTS FOR THE DRAW
Pot 1 – Coton Sport (Benin), USFA (Burkina Faso), Aigle Royal (Cameroon), AF Amadou Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire), FC San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire), Asante Kotoko (Ghana), Hafia FC (Guinea), Black Man Warrior (Liberia), ASC Snim (Mauritania), OCS (Morocco), ASN Nigelec (Niger), Abia Warriors (Nigeria), Kwara United (Nigeria), Génération Foot (Senegal), Bhantal FC (Sierra Leone), AS Gbohloe-su (Togo), Stade Tunisien (Tunisia)
Pot 2 – Flambeau du Centre (Burundi), AS Port (Djibouti), Wolitta Dicha SC (Ethiopia), Nairobi United FC (Kenya), Libya 1 (Libya), Libya 2 (Libya), Rayon Sport FC (Rwanda), Dekadaha FC (Somalia), El Merriekh FC Bentiu (South Sudan), Al Ahli Madani (Sudan), Al Zamalek Umr. (Sudan), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Azam FC (Tanzania), NEC FC (Uganda), KMKM SC (Zanzibar)
Pot 3 – Kabuscorp de Palanca (Angola), CD 1º de Agosto (Angola), Djabal FC (Comoros), RD Congo 1 (DR Congo), RD Congo 2 (DR Congo), FC 15 Agosto (Equatorial Guinea), FC 105 (Gabon), AS Fanalamanga (Madagascar), Mighty Wanderers (Malawi), Pamplemousses (Mauritius), Ferroviário de Maputo (Mozambique), Young Africans FC (Namibia), Foresters FC (Seychelles), Zesco United (Zambia)
Ranked clubs entering in Preliminary Round: Djoliba AC de Bamako (Mali), Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana), Étoile Sportive du Sahel (Tunisia), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Royal Leopards (Eswatini), AS Otohô (Congo)
COMPETITION TIMELINE
Preliminary Round: First Leg – 19–21 September 2025; Second Leg – 26–28 September 2025
Second Preliminary Round: First Leg – 17–19 October 2025; Second Leg – 24–26 October 2025
Group Stage: Begins 28 November 2025
Knockout Phase: Starts 3 April 2026