CAF Confederation Cup 2026/27: Season Guide, Key Dates, Fixtures & Betting Preview

USM Alger begin the CAF Confederation Cup 2026/27 as defending champions after beating Zamalek 8-7 on penalties in Cairo. The new campaign brings 56 clubs from 44 associations, a USD 4 million first prize and an unusually deep field led by Al Ahly, Raja Casablanca and Kaizer Chiefs. The first CAF Confederation Cup fixtures start on 4 September, with eight leading sides joining one round later.

CAF Confederation Cup Results 2025/26: Season Recap

The 2025/26 final was balanced across two tight legs. USM Alger won 1-0 in Algiers on 9 May, then Zamalek levelled the aggregate score with a 1-0 victory in Cairo on 16 May. No extra time was played. USM Alger won the shootout 8-7 after the first 14 penalties were converted, securing their second title after the club's 2022/23 success.

Leg Date Result
First leg 9 May 2026 USM Alger 1-0 Zamalek
Second leg 16 May 2026 Zamalek 1-0 USM Alger
Aggregate 1-1; USM Alger won 8-7 on penalties

The group stage supplied 48 matches and 102 goals, an average of 2.13 per game. Sixteen clubs were split into four groups, with the top two in each section moving into the quarter-finals. The results of CAF Confederation Cup group play also showed the competition's reach: Nairobi United made their group debut, while clubs from Tanzania, Zambia, DR Congo and South Africa all joined the North African contenders.

USM Alger's route was especially unusual. They entered continental football through the Algerian Cup, finished only tenth in their domestic league, then defeated Olympique Safi (OC Safi) in the semi-finals and Zamalek in the final. Their continental and domestic cup double made a poor league season historically successful.

No individual dominated the competition. Four players finished level on four goals: USM Alger's Ahmed Khaldi, Zamalek's Oday Dabbagh, Abdennour Belhocini (CR Belouizdad in the previous season, now at JS Kabylie) and Sofian El Moudane (OC Safi, currently without a club).

Across the competition proper, 62 matches produced 123 goals at 1.98 per game — the group phase was the more open of the two, with the knockout rounds tightening sharply.

CAF Confederation Cup Winners: History & Format

CAF created the Confederation Cup in 2004 by merging the African Cup Winners' Cup and CAF Cup. It is Africa's second-tier club competition, below the CAF Champions League. The champion also earns a place in the following CAF Super Cup against the Champions League winner.

CS Sfaxien and RS Berkane share the record with three titles each. USM Alger joined Étoile du Sahel, TP Mazembe, Zamalek and Raja Casablanca on two titles with their 2026 triumph. The complete CAF Confederation Cup winners roll of honour is shown below.

Season Winner Season Winner
2004 Hearts of Oak 2016 TP Mazembe
2005 AS FAR 2017 TP Mazembe
2006 Étoile du Sahel 2018 Raja Casablanca
2007 CS Sfaxien 2018/19 Zamalek
2008 CS Sfaxien 2019/20 RS Berkane
2009 Stade Malien 2020/21 Raja Casablanca
2010 FUS Rabat 2021/22 RS Berkane
2011 MAS Fez 2022/23 USM Alger
2012 AC Leopards 2023/24 Zamalek
2013 CS Sfaxien 2024/25 RS Berkane
2014 Al Ahly 2025/26 USM Alger
2015 Étoile du Sahel

The 2026/27 format begins with 48 clubs in 24 two-legged first preliminary-round ties. Eight clubs are exempt and enter the second preliminary round, producing 16 ties. The 16 winners reach four groups of four; each club plays six home-and-away matches and the top two qualify for the quarter-finals. Every knockout tie, including the final, is played over two legs.

Stage Teams Outcome
First preliminary round 48 24 winners
Second preliminary round 32 16 group-stage places
Group stage 16 Top two from each group advance
Quarter-finals 8 Four two-legged winners
Semi-finals 4 Two two-legged winners
Final 2 Two legs; aggregate winner lifts the cup

CAF has confirmed USD 4 million for the champions and a USD 100,000 solidarity payment for each club eliminated in the preliminary rounds. The governing body had not published a complete revised 2026/27 stage-by-stage distribution when this guide was checked on 31 August 2026.

CAF Confederation Cup Teams and Key 2026 Transfers

The field contains 56 clubs from 44 associations. Bold club names enter in the second preliminary round; the other 48 begin in the first. The table includes every registered team, not only the headline contenders.

Club Country Club Country
Al Ahly Egypt Azam FC Tanzania
USM Alger Algeria CR Belouizdad Algeria
AS FAR Morocco Raja Casablanca Morocco
AS Maniema Union DR Congo Kaizer Chiefs South Africa
Mogadishu City Club Somalia Kitara FC Uganda
ZED FC Egypt ASAS Djibouti Télécom Djibouti
Al Hilal Alsahil Sudan Welwalo Adigrat Ethiopia
KMKM SC Zanzibar Al Ahly Tripoli Libya
Al Ahli Madani Sudan Tusker FC Kenya
Al-Ghazala SC Wau South Sudan Singida Black Stars Tanzania
The Panthers FC Equatorial Guinea ASPAC FC Benin
AS PSI Chad CO Korhogo Côte d'Ivoire
AS Douanes Mauritania Hafia FC Guinea
El Kanemi Warriors Nigeria UDIB Guinea-Bissau
AF Amadou Diallo Côte d'Ivoire East End Lions FC Sierra Leone
Shooting Stars Nigeria CS Sfaxien Tunisia
ES Zarzis Tunisia Diambars FC Senegal
Vitesse FC Burkina Faso AS Real de Bamako Mali
FC Diarra Mali Nations FC Ghana
AS Zam Niger ASKO de Kara Togo
UNAM Namibia Kabuscorp de Palanca Angola
Red Arrows FC Zambia FC Rouge Madagascar
Durban City FC South Africa Rukinzo FC Burundi
AS Port Louis 2000 Mauritius Jwaneng Galaxy Botswana
Panthère Sportive Cameroon Rayon Sports FC Rwanda
Atomic Ngome Comoros Associação Black Bull Mozambique
DC Virunga DR Congo PTL Bazar Brothers Seychelles
Green Mamba Eswatini CD Primeiro de Agosto Angola

Key summer 2026 transfers

Recruitment is incomplete across several domestic windows, but six Confederation Cup clubs have already made changes that affect the early title picture. Fees are included only where a reliable published figure exists.

Club Key arrivals Key departures/note
Al Ahly Soufiane Benjdida (MAS Fez, USD 2.5m); Mounsef Bakrar (Dinamo Zagreb, USD 3m) No major departure noted for this preview
Raja Casablanca Michael Agbekpornu, Marian Huja, Younes Dahmani, Chemseddine Knaidil, Ishak Zidani, Felipinho Six arrivals spread across defence and midfield
Kaizer Chiefs Thabo Moloisane, Adolf Mtasingwa Bitegeko, Langelihle Phili, Faiz Abrahams; Khanyisa Mayo made permanent Glody Lilepo joined Al Ahly Benghazi
USM Alger Farid Boulaya, Mohamed Ramdaoui, Mohamed Gherbi, Abderraouf Benguit and further domestic additions Housseyn Dehiri joined Al Ahly Tripoli; several squad exits
Al Ahly Tripoli Fiston Mayele, Fagrie Lakay, Mostafa Shakshak, Mohamed Khalil, Jean Claude, Omar Al-Harik, Housseyn Dehiri The most aggressive recruitment drive in the field
CR Belouizdad Six early additions, including returning defender Sofiane Bouchar Khanyisa Mayo moved permanently to Kaizer Chiefs

CAF Confederation Cup Games and Fixtures: Preliminary Rounds 2026/27

The first CAF Confederation Cup games are scheduled for 4 to 6 September, with return legs one week later. The first-named club hosts the opening leg. Exact match days and kick-off times should be checked on CAF's official schedule because venue approvals can alter the initial calendar.

CAF Confederation Cup First Preliminary Round

# First-leg host Opponent
1 Mogadishu City Club Kitara FC
2 ZED FC ASAS Djibouti Télécom
3 Al Hilal Alsahil Welwalo Adigrat
4 KMKM SC Al Ahly Tripoli
5 Al Ahli Madani Tusker FC
6 Al-Ghazala SC Wau Singida Black Stars
7 The Panthers FC ASPAC FC
8 AS PSI CO Korhogo
9 AS Douanes Hafia FC
10 El Kanemi Warriors UDIB
11 AF Amadou Diallo East End Lions FC
12 Shooting Stars CS Sfaxien
13 ES Zarzis Diambars FC
14 Vitesse FC AS Real de Bamako
15 FC Diarra Nations FC
16 AS Zam ASKO de Kara
17 UNAM Kabuscorp de Palanca
18 Red Arrows FC FC Rouge
19 Durban City FC Rukinzo FC
20 AS Port Louis 2000 Jwaneng Galaxy
21 Panthère Sportive Rayon Sports FC
22 Atomic Ngome Associação Black Bull
23 DC Virunga PTL Bazar Brothers
24 Green Mamba CD Primeiro de Agosto

Shooting Stars against three-time winners CS Sfaxien is the strongest first-round tie. The Nigerian club return to continental competition after a 27-year absence, while Sfaxien bring the joint-best title record. The prize for surviving it is unusually generous — the winner faces AF Amadou Diallo of Côte d'Ivoire or Sierra Leone's East End Lions, with no exempt club in the way. If Shooting Stars can get past Sfaxien, the group stage is genuinely within reach.

El Kanemi Warriors have a different story: they were relegated from Nigeria's top flight but qualified by winning the 2026 Nigerian Federation Cup.

Kenya's Tusker have the kindest draw of any club outside the exempt eight. They open away to Al Ahli Madani of Sudan, and the winners meet Al-Ghazala SC Wau or Singida Black Stars for a group-stage place. Two rounds, no seeded opposition, and a route Nairobi United could not have dreamed of when they reached the groups last season.

CAF Confederation Cup Second Preliminary Round

The next CAF Confederation Cup fixtures then move to the second preliminary round, with first legs on 16 to 18 October and returns on 23 to 25 October. The eight exempt clubs enter here; the other eight ties pair first-round winners against each other.

Tie Opponent
Mogadishu City Club or Kitara FC Al Ahly
ZED FC or ASAS Djibouti Télécom Azam FC
Al Hilal Alsahil or Welwalo Adigrat KMKM SC or Al Ahly Tripoli
Al Ahli Madani or Tusker FC Al-Ghazala SC Wau or Singida Black Stars
The Panthers FC or ASPAC FC USM Alger
AS PSI or CO Korhogo AS FAR
AS Douanes or Hafia FC CR Belouizdad
El Kanemi Warriors or UDIB Raja Casablanca
AF Amadou Diallo or East End Lions FC Shooting Stars or CS Sfaxien
ES Zarzis or Diambars FC Vitesse FC or AS Real de Bamako
FC Diarra or Nations FC AS Zam or ASKO de Kara
UNAM or Kabuscorp de Palanca AS Maniema Union
Red Arrows FC or FC Rouge Kaizer Chiefs
Durban City FC or Rukinzo FC AS Port Louis 2000 or Jwaneng Galaxy
Panthère Sportive or Rayon Sports FC Atomic Ngome or Associação Black Bull
DC Virunga or PTL Bazar Brothers Green Mamba or CD Primeiro de Agosto

Sixteen aggregate winners will complete the group-stage field.

CAF Confederation Cup Knockout Stage 2026/27

The group stage starts at the end of November and runs through January. Clubs play six matches, three home and three away. The group winners and runners-up advance; teams finishing third or fourth are eliminated.

There is no crossover into the CAF Champions League. CAF had not announced the group-stage draw date by 31 August, but it must follow the last second-round ties on 25 October.

Stage Dates
First preliminary round 4-6 Sep and 11-13 Sep 2026
Second preliminary round 16-18 Oct and 23-25 Oct 2026
Group Matchday 1 27-29 Nov 2026
Group Matchday 2 4-6 Dec 2026
Group Matchday 3 18-20 Dec 2026
Group Matchdays 4-6 8-10, 15-17 and 22-24 Jan 2027
Quarter-finals 26-28 Feb and 5-7 Mar 2027
Semi-finals 9-11 and 16-18 Apr 2027
Final Two legs between 9-31 May 2027

CAF Confederation Cup Prediction 2026/27: Who Will Win?

No outright prices were available when this preview was prepared, so the CAF Confederation Cup prediction below is based on route, continental record, squad depth and summer recruitment rather than a quoted market.

Al Ahly: The 12-time African champions won this cup in 2014 and return for the first time since 2015. Their bye, favourable route and additions of Benjdida and Bakrar give them the strongest starting position.

USM Alger: The holders know how to manage two-legged ties and have won this competition twice in four seasons. Their warning sign is domestic consistency: tenth place in Algeria shows how far performance can fall between continental nights.

Raja Casablanca: Two Confederation Cup titles, a bye and six summer signings make Raja a credible finalist. Their route is manageable, but how quickly the rebuilt midfield settles will matter.

Al Ahly Tripoli: Fiston Mayele and Fagrie Lakay headline the field's most ambitious recruitment drive. Starting in the first round is the handicap — three rounds to survive before the groups, where the exempt clubs need only one — but no side in the competition has strengthened harder.

Dark horse: Kaizer Chiefs have a bye, a new coach in Fernando Da Cruz and a broader squad after adding Moloisane, Mtasingwa, Phili and Abrahams. They reached the group stage last season and now have a realistic route back.

Our pick: Al Ahly. They have already won this trophy, possess unmatched continental experience and received a draw that should let their new forwards settle before the group stage. USM Alger remain the strongest alternative, especially if the holders reproduce last season's control in knockout football.