Shooting Stars and El Kanemi Warriors face difficult CAF Confederation Cup routes

The draw for the 2026 CAF Confederation Cup has handed Nigeria’s Shooting Stars and El Kanemi Warriors challenging routes as they attempt to reach the group stage of Africa’s second-tier club competition.

The draw took place in Cairo, Egypt, with the participating clubs learning their opponents for the opening rounds.

Shooting Stars have been paired with three-time CAF Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien in one of the most prominent ties in the first preliminary round. The Nigerian club will need to overcome the Tunisian side over two legs to keep its continental campaign alive.

If Shooting Stars advance, they will face either AF Amadou Diallo or East End Lions in the second preliminary round, also known as the Round of 32.

The Oluyole Warriors qualified for the tournament after finishing third in the Nigeria Premier Football League last season. Their appearance represents a return to continental competition for the first time in 27 years.

El Kanemi Warriors, meanwhile, will begin their campaign against UDIB. Victory in that tie would set up a second preliminary-round meeting with Raja CA, two-time winners of the CAF Confederation Cup.

That potential encounter would represent another major test for the President Federation Cup winners, who are also aiming to reach the group stage.

The competition features 56 clubs, with the eight highest-ranked sides receiving byes into the second preliminary round. The remaining 48 teams were drawn into two-legged first-round ties.

Those 24 first-round winners will join the eight seeded clubs in the Round of 32. The 16 teams that come through that stage will then qualify for the group phase.

The first legs of the opening preliminary-round ties are scheduled to be played between 4 and 6 September, with the return matches taking place from 11 to 13 September.

The second preliminary round is due to be played in October, after which the successful teams will progress to the group stage.

USM Alger are the current holders of the CAF Confederation Cup. They won last season’s final against Zamalek over two legs and will begin the defence of their title after the preliminary-round schedule has been completed.

CAF confirmed before the draw that the clubs had been seeded according to their rankings and recent performances in continental competitions. That system shaped the routes for both Nigerian representatives, with Shooting Stars immediately facing a side with a strong record in the tournament and El Kanemi Warriors potentially meeting one of its most successful clubs in the next round.

Both teams must now negotiate their opening ties before they can consider the group stage, where 16 clubs will compete for the title currently held by USM Alger.