Shooting Stars Face Tunisian Giants CS Sfaxien in CAF Confederation Cup Opener
Shooting Stars have been drawn against Tunisian heavyweights CS Sfaxien in one of the standout fixtures of the first preliminary round of the 2026/2027 CAF Confederation Cup.
The Ibadan club will host the first leg at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne before travelling to Sfax for the decisive return leg.
If Shooting Stars eliminate the Tunisian side, they will advance to the second preliminary round, where they will meet either Côte d’Ivoire’s AF Amadou Diallo or Sierra Leone’s East End Lions in the battle for a place in the final qualifying stage.
El-Kanemi Warriors Paired with Guinea‑Bissau’s UDIB
Nigeria’s other representative, El-Kanemi Warriors, were paired with Guinea‑Bissau side União Desportiva Internacional (UDIB) in the opening preliminary round.
The Maiduguri club face an even tougher challenge if they advance, with Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca waiting in the second preliminary round. Raja are among the eight highest‑ranked clubs that received automatic byes into that stage of the competition.
Draw Details, Tournament Format and Schedule
The 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup features 88 clubs from across Africa. Fifty‑six non‑seeded teams will compete in the first preliminary round, while the continent’s eight highest‑ranked clubs were exempted until the second preliminary round.
The clubs handed direct passage are Egypt’s Al Ahly, Algeria’s USM Alger and CR Belouizdad, Morocco’s AS FAR and Raja Casablanca, DR Congo’s AS Maniema Union, Congo’s AS Otohô and Tanzania’s Azam FC.
The competition pathway has already been mapped out by CAF. The winner of every first preliminary round tie automatically advances into a predetermined second‑round fixture, with several clubs set to meet one of the seeded sides.
Among the other notable first‑round ties, Kenya’s Tusker FC will take on Sudan’s Al Ahli Madani, with the winners facing Azam FC. Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko have been drawn against Niger Republic’s AS Douanes, while South Africa’s Stellenbosch FC will meet Mozambique’s Ferroviário de Maputo for the right to face AS Otohô.
The first‑leg matches of the opening preliminary round will be played between September 4 and 6, with the return fixtures scheduled for September 11 and 13. The second preliminary round will follow on October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25.
At the end of the qualifying campaign, the 16 aggregate winners from the second preliminary round will secure places in the CAF Confederation Cup group stage, which is scheduled to begin in late November 2026.
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