The strength of Egyptian clubs in the CAF Champions League was demonstrated again on Friday as Pyramids and Zamalek achieved away qualifying wins to all but seal group-phase slots.

Mahmoud Saber scored after 32 minutes to earn 2025 Champions League winners Pyramids a 1-0 second round, first leg victory over El Merriekh Bentiu in South Sudan capital Juba.

Pas de mission facile à l'extérieur, mais Pyramids FC a fait le job. 💼💙 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL https://t.co/7jFR3PuR11

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC_fr) October 16, 2026

Five-time African champions Zamalek left it late to also win 1-0, away to Rwandan outfit APR in Kigali. Nasser Mansy struck the lone goal in the final minute of regular time.

Nasser Mansi sait comment faire la différence dans les derniers instants. 😎 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL https://t.co/Rj5Lci1px8

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC_fr) October 16, 2026

Egyptian clubs have won the premier African club competition a record 19 times, led by Al Ahly with 12 titles.

Ahly finished only third in the last Egyptian Premier League behind Zamalek and Pyramids and will not compete in the Champions League this season.

Instead, they will take part in the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup, starting with an away qualifier against Ugandan club Kitara on Saturday.

Ahly had competed in every edition of the Champions League since 2004. During that period the Cairo Red Devils won the competition nine times and finished runners-up four times.

A further five first legs are scheduled for Saturday with a clash of two former champions, TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Club Africain of Tunisia, a highlight.

The winners of the 16 second-round ties, which conclude on October 25, enter the six-matchday group phase where the minimum prize money is $500 000.

Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and Kaizer Chiefs are all in African club competition action this weekend, along with Durban City, who are playing their debut campaign.

Sundowns are away at Wiliete from Angola in the Champions League on Sunday, while Pirates travel to African Stars of Namibia a day earlier in the same competition.

Chiefs face a daunting trip to Zambia to meet Red Arrows in the Confederation Cup on Saturday, while Durban City host ASPL 2000 from Mauritius a day later.

Ahead of those games, we look at the records of Sundowns, Chiefs, and Pirates against teams from their opponents’ countries in African club competitions down the years, and it has not been all fun and games.

As they are making their debut, Durban City have no record against Mauritian opposition.

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS WILIETE (ANGOLA)

Sundowns will be expected to ease past Wiliete from Angola, but they will be wary of past failures against clubs from the southern African nation.

Wiliete will be the third side from Angola that Sundowns have faced in African club competition, after Petro Atletico and Primeiro de Agosto.

Petro in particular have been a thorny opponent after they dumped Sundowns out at the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League in the 2021/22 season, winning 2-1 at home and drawing 1-1 in South Africa.

Sundowns have played 10 matches against Angolan clubs across all CAF competitions, winning four, drawing three and losing three.

The Brazilians have never lost at home to an Angolan club in continental competition, with three wins and two draws, but their away record is considerably less impressive, with just one win, one draw and three defeats.

Their first meetings with Angolan opposition came in the 2001 Champions League semifinals against Petro Atletico. Sundowns won 2-0 at home, lost 2-0 away and advanced to the final with a 5-3 penalty shootout victory.

Two years later, in the now-defunct CAF Cup, Sundowns again needed penalties to eliminate an Angolan club. They lost 2-0 away to Primeiro de Agosto, won the return leg 2-0 and prevailed 9-8 in the shootout.

Sundowns enjoyed their most successful Champions League meetings against Petro Atletico in the 2019/20 group stage, winning 3-0 at home before drawing 2-2 in Angola.

The most recent meetings with an Angolan club came in the inaugural African Football League in 2023, when Sundowns defeated Petro Atletico 2-0 away and drew 0-0 at home in the quarterfinals.

ORLANDO PIRATES VS AFRICAN STARS (NAMIBIA)

Pirates’ history against Namibian opponents is far more cut and dried, though they were also made to sweat last time out.

We are still waiting for the day they get to face their namesakes, Orlando Pirates of Windhoek, in a CAF competition, which will give everyone a headache trying to work out who is home and away on the fixture list!

The Buccaneers meet African Stars this time round, the same opponents they faced in their only previous tie against Namibian opposition.

That was in the second round of the CAF Champions League in 2018/19, and Pirates squeezed through.

They were held to a 0-0 draw in Soweto in the first leg and then claimed a narrow 1-0 away win in Windhoek to take the tie.

You would think it will be a little more emphatic this time round.

KAIZER CHIEFS VS RED ARROWS (ZAMBIA)

Chiefs have faced two Zambian clubs before in African club competition, in the form of Nchanga Rangers and ZESCO United, but it has not gone all that well.

Their record against Zambian opposition is six matches, two wins, one draw, and three defeats, with four goals scored and seven conceded.

All six previous matches have come in the CAF Cup or CAF Confederation Cup, and we go again in the latter against Arrows.

Their first encounters came in the old CAF Cup in 2000, when they lost 2-0 at home to Nchanga Rangers in the second round and drew the return fixture 0-0 away.

It was almost two decades before they faced another Zambian club, drawing ZESCO United in the third round of the 2018/19 Confederation Cup.

Chiefs lost both matches against ZESCO, going down 3-1 away and 2-1 at home to suffer a 5-2 aggregate defeat.

They have had better luck more recently. They clashed with ZESCO in the Confederation Cup last season and won 1-0 in Zambia before repeating the result at home.

It will be tough again this year, with Red Arrows a very accomplished side.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is warning their trip to Angola at the weekend will be a tough assignment as they begin the defence of their African Champions League crown.

Sundowns, who received a bye in the first round, take on Wiliete in the first leg of their second round tie in Lubango on Sunday, with the return in Pretoria next Friday October 23.

“It's important that people understand this is could be (a game) of the same standard as a group match in Champions League,” Cardoso said.

“We are speaking about the team that is leading the Angolan championship. That is a team that we have to have a lot of respect for. And when you speak about respect for the opponent, it means level of preparation that we need to have, we need to take ourselves to the limits on the preparation, on the commitment, and also on the way we're going to face the two matches.”

Sundowns will be going on a charter plane to Angola because the domestic airlinks are precarious.

“I'm very thankful to my club that understood that we needed to have a charter to travel to Angola.”

Cardoso said Sundowns had sent several spies to watch Wiliete play in the GiraBola and that they had problems catching flights from Luanda to other domestic destinations because the internal flight network in Angola can be unrealiable with delays and cancellations

“We could not risk not to travel on a charter because it's quite tricky to fly inside Angola. So, we needed to control that. So the club made that effort, so we're going to fly on a charter. It allows us also to come back immediately after the match to South Africa. And then Angola is not that far, so we can train have dinner in the hotel and that is easy enough for us to manage,” the coach explained.

Wiliete are based in Benguela but because their stadium, which was newly built for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals, is not longer fit for international matches, Sunday’s first leg is being played in Lubango, which is further south.

“As I said a few days ago, it's a roller coaster, but we like to be on that roller coaster. We just need to be very focussed so that we take it up to the end in the right way. It will be difficult qualifying round and we have to be on the best level to make it the right way,” Cardoso added.

Namibia’s African Stars are determined to get a positive result from the first leg of their African Champions League second round clash against Orlando Pirates on Saturday, coach Gerald Guther told local media.

Stars host Pirates in the opening leg at the National Stadium in Gaborone because there are no stadia in Namibia up to the standard required for international competition by the Confederation of African Football.

“Our objective is to compete for a victory in Gaborone and put ourselves in the strongest possible position ahead of the return match in Johannesburg,” said Guther, who has replaced former Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronnie Kanalelo as the coach after Kanalelo left to take over struggling Marumo Gallants in the Betway Premiership.

The second leg will be at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto next Friday, 23 and the winner of the tie advances to the lucrative group phase of the continent’s top club competition.

“We know the challenge that awaits us away from home, so we will approach Saturday’s match with ambition, discipline and a clear determination to get a positive result,” Guther told the Namibian newspaper on Thursday.

Stars upset Mangasport of Gabon in the first round, after which Kanalelo quit, and because the Namibian league does not kick off until next weekend, Guther has had no official games in charge of the team.

But he said he had increased the intensity of training in a bid to be fit for the clash.

“Orlando Pirates have already played 14 competitive matches this season, so they have considerable match rhythm and while losing a final (the MTN8 against Sundowns in Durban last Saturday) is undoubtedly disappointing, a team of their quality will be mentally prepared to respond,” Guther said.

“We cannot base our approach on their previous result. Our focus is on ourselves, our preparation and how we can compete effectively,” he added.

South Africa’s representatives in African club competition are all honing in on a bumper Friday night bonanza on October 23 when Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates all plan to host the second leg of their second round ties.

In the African Champions League, holders Sundowns will be playing against Wiliete of Angola and are away in Lubango on Sunday, October 18 in the first leg of their second round tie.

The return is set for a 6pm kickoff on Friday, October 25 at Loftus Versfeld.

At the same time, Pirates will be hosting the second leg of their second round against African Stars of Namibia at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

The first leg is being hosted in Gaborone on Saturday, October 17 where the Namibians are forced to switch their match to because there is no stadium up to international standard in Namibia.

Chiefs had a bye in the first round of the African Confederation Cup and so make their bow in the second round against Zambian air force club Red Arrows.

The first leg is away in Ndola on October 17 while the return is being played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban – again on Friday with a 6pm kick off.

Durban City are at home in the first leg of the Confederation Cup tie against AS Port Louis 2000 of Mauritius, which will be at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday, October 18.

The return is set for Mauritius on Sunday, October 25.

The winners of all the second round ties qualify for the group phase of the two competitions.

The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 enters a decisive phase next month when the Second Preliminary Round gets underway, with some of Africa’s biggest clubs facing potentially difficult assignments for the 16 places in the group stage.

Following the completion of the First Preliminary Round over the weekend, the field has been narrowed and the successful clubs will now be joined by defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Espérance and RS Berkane, who received byes into this stage.

The first legs of the Second Preliminary Round will be played from 16-18 October, with the return matches scheduled for 23-25 October. The 16 winners will advance to the group stage, which begins at the end of November.

One of the most intriguing Second Preliminary Round ties will see holders Mamelodi Sundowns begin their title defence against Angola’s Wiliete Sport Clube de Benguela.

Wiliete made an emphatic statement in the opening round by eliminating Foresters FC of Seychelles 5-0 on aggregate, with Angola international Mabululu scoring three of their five goals.

Egyptian giants Zamalek were among the most convincing performers of the First Preliminary Round, completing a 6-1 aggregate victory over AS Port of Djibouti after a 4-0 win in the return leg.

Their reward is a meeting with Rwanda’s APR FC, who produced an impressive turnaround to eliminate Aigles du Congo. After losing the opening leg 1-0, APR responded with a 3-0 victory in Kigali to progress 3-1 on aggregate.

Another heavyweight entering the competition at this stage is four-time champions Espérance, who will meet Libya’s Al-Swehly.

The Libyan side demonstrated their ambitions by comfortably eliminating KVZ of Zanzibar, following their 1-0 first-leg success with a 3-0 victory to advance 4-0 on aggregate.

Former champions Pyramids FC were also among the outstanding performers of the opening round.

The Egyptian side followed their 2-0 victory away to Gor Mahia with a commanding 5-1 home win, completing a 7-1 aggregate triumph.

They now meet South Sudan’s El Merriekh Bentiu, who were equally impressive in their opening assignment, eliminating Heegan FC 4-0 on aggregate.

Tanzania’s Simba SC also produced one of the biggest victories of the First Preliminary Round. After winning 1-0 away to Mighty Wanderers in Malawi, Simba turned on the style in the return leg with a 6-1 victory, progressing 7-1 on aggregate.

Their Second Preliminary Round opponents are Nigerian champions Rangers, who survived one of the tightest ties of the opening round against AS Sobemap of Benin, eventually prevailing on penalties.

One of the headline fixtures will come in DR Congo, where five-time African champions TP Mazembe face Tunisia’s Club Africain.

Mazembe defeated Ghana’s Medeama in both legs, winning 1-0 away before recording a 3-1 home victory to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Club Africain had a more difficult route, following their 1-0 first-leg victory over Djoliba with a 2-2 draw in Mali to progress 3-2 overall.

The meeting between two former African champions promises to be among the most anticipated contests of the round.

There will also be considerable interest in the meeting between MC Alger and FC San Pedro, while Morocco’s MAS de Fès face Ivory Coast giants ASEC Mimosas.

MC Alger delivered one of the biggest second-leg performances, beating ASN Nigelec 5-0, while MAS de Fès protected the advantage from their emphatic 4-1 first-leg victory over Rahimo by holding the Burkina Faso side goalless in the return.

South Africa’s Orlando Pirates will continue their campaign against Namibia’s African Stars after defeating La Cure Waves of Mauritius 3-1 on aggregate.

African Stars progressed following a dramatic contest with Gabon’s Mangasport, while Pirates will be looking to build on their 3-1 home victory in the return leg against La Cure Waves.

Moroccan giants RS Berkane, another of the clubs given a bye, will begin their campaign against Star Sport Academy of Sierra Leone, while Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman face Ethiopia’s Sidama Bunna.

There is also an intriguing meeting between Young Africans and Madagascar’s CFFA, while Algeria’s Al-Merreikh face Guinea’s Horoya AC, who overturned a first-leg deficit against JS Saoura with an impressive 3-1 return-leg victory.

Meanwhile, one First Preliminary Round tie remains outstanding, with Equatorial Guinea’s 15 de Agosto holding a commanding 4-0 advantage over Fomboni FC of Comoros following their first-leg victory on 11 September.

The return leg is scheduled for 3 October, with the winners advancing to face Tanzania’s Simba SC in the Second Preliminary Round.

With only one round now separating the remaining clubs from the group stage, the Second Preliminary Round is set to provide another demanding test of continental pedigree, form and ambition.

There will be plenty at stake as the clubs continue their pursuit of Africa’s biggest club prize and the record USD 6 million awarded to the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winners.

CAF will also provide USD 100 000 to clubs eliminated in the Preliminary Rounds to assist with travel and other logistical costs, part of measures aimed at easing the financial burden of participating in continental competition.

TOTALENERGIES CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2026/27 – Second Preliminary Round fixtures

First legs: 16-18 October 2026 | Return legs: 23-25 October 2026

African Stars (Namibia) v Orlando Pirates (South Africa)

APR FC (Rwanda) v Zamalek (Egypt)

Al-Swehly (Libya) v Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)

CFFA (Madagascar) v Young Africans (Tanzania)

El Merriekh Bentiu (South Sudan) v Pyramids FC (Egypt)

Horoya AC (Guinea) v Al-Merriekh (Sudan)

Maghreb Fès (Morocco) v ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast)

TP Mazembe (DR Congo) v Club Africain (Tunisia)

Rangers International (Nigeria) v MC Alger (Algeria)

San Pedro (Ivory Coast) v Nouadhibou (Mauritania)

Scottland FC (Zimbabwe) v Petro Atlético (Angola)

Sidama Bunna (Ethiopia) v Al-Hilal Omdurman (Sudan)

Star Sport Academy (Sierra Leone) v RS Berkane (Morocco)

Teungueth FC (Senegal) v Colombe Sportive (Cameroon)

Wiliete (Angola) v Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Simba (Tanzania) v 15 de Agosto (GNQ) or Fomboni FC (COM)