New Durban City head coach Eric Tinkler believes his side will have to raise their level considerably if they are to secure a place in the CAF Confederation Cup group stages.

The Citizens are making their debut in continental football after earning qualification through last season’s Nedbank Cup triumph.

City progressed beyond the opening preliminary round with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Burundi’s Rukinzo FC and will now face Mauritian outfit AS Port-Louis 2000 in the second preliminary round, with a place in the group stage at stake.

Speaking after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat to KwaZulu-Natal rivals AmaZulu in the Betway Premiership, Tinkler admitted that the opportunity to compete on the African stage played a significant role in his decision to take charge of the club.

“Being involved in CAF Competitions is something every club and every coach wants to be part of. Both legs are crucial to qualify, but in between these we have other difficult domestic games to take off.”

“The CAF Confederation Cup was one of the main reasons why I came here, and we want to cement ourselves in that competition, which will take a lot of hard work”, he adds.

City’s next opponents, AS Port-Louis 2000, booked their place in the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup through their success in the Mauritian domestic cup competition.

With a place in the group stages on the line, Tinkler says his technical team has already begun preparations for the encounter and managed to obtain video footage of the Mauritian side to assess their strengths and playing style ahead of the first leg.

“We actually managed to get some footage, so we’ll be analysing that and examining the opposition for the first time before we get stuck in this weekend.”

Meanwhile, Tinkler believes there were positives to take from City’s performance against AmaZulu despite suffering another setback in the Betway Premiership.

The Citizens were left chasing the game after conceding twice in the opening half, with Usuthu making better use of their opportunities in front of goal.

Tinkler admits he was encouraged by the character and determination his players displayed in their attempt to turn the result around.

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Durban City & Stellenbosch FC coaches Eric Tinkler & Gavin Hunt on facing each other in the #CarlingKnockoutCup!

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