CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup draws: date, pots and how to watch

African football fans will discover the group-stage line-ups for the 2026-27 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup on Wednesday, 28 October, with the draws taking place in Cairo.

The Confederation Cup draw will begin at 14:00 Cairo time, followed by the Champions League draw at 15:00.

The Champions League has attracted particular interest because reigning African heavyweights Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns are both absent from this edition. Al Ahly will, however, feature in the Confederation Cup alongside clubs including CS Sfaxien and Raja Club Athletic.

Champions League groups

The 16 teams through to the Champions League group stage have been divided into four pots:

Pot 1: Zamalek SC, Pyramids FC, Esperance Sportive de Tunis and RS Berkane.

Pot 2: Al Hilal, Simba SC, Young Africans and Atletico Petroleos de Luanda.

Pot 3: MC Alger, Orlando Pirates, FC Nouadhibou and Horoya AC.

Pot 4: Club Africain, Wiliete SC, Colombe Sportive and Maghreb de Fes.

Confederation Cup groups

The Confederation Cup also has 16 group-stage contenders, arranged as follows:

Pot 1: Al Ahly, USM Alger, AS FAR and CS Sfaxien.

Pot 2: Raja Club Athletic, Maniema Union, Azam FC and Al Ahly Tripoli.

Pot 3: Singida Black Stars, Black Bulls, Real Bamako and Durban City.

Pot 4: ASKO Kara, Red Arrows, 1o de Agosto and the winner of the tie involving CR Belouizdad, AS Gendarmerie Nationale and Hafia FC.

The draw ceremony will determine the groups for both competitions as the clubs begin their campaigns for continental honours.

Broadcast details

The Confederation Cup draw and the Champions League draw will be streamed live on the official CAF YouTube account.

The ceremonies will also be available on beIN SPORTS, the exclusive broadcaster of the Champions League and Confederation Cup. beIN SPORTS NEWS HD is expected to carry the coverage.

Group-stage schedule

The Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages are expected to begin on 27 November 2026.

The group stage is scheduled to conclude on 24 January 2026.