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CAF Confederation Cup

Abia Warriors and Kwara United in Pot 1 of CAF Confederation Cup Draw

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Kwara United (left) and Abia Warriors warm up ahead of potentially tough continental outings.

Nigeria’s flagbearers in the CAF Confederation Cup, Abia Warriors and Kwara United, are both in Pot 1 ahead of the Draw ceremony holding this Saturday in Tanzania. In essence, both teams will avoid each other in the preliminary stage.

A total of 58 clubs entered this season’s competition, featuring several continental heavyweights and ambitious debutantes.

Among the debutantes is Nigeria’s Abia Warriors. The draw will be conducted at Azam Media Studios at 13h00 local time (10h00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on CAF’s YouTube channel and through CAF’s broadcast partners.

This season, teams eliminated in the first two rounds will each receive USD 100,000 to assist with logistical costs, as CAF continues its strategy of encouraging broader participation and competitive balance across the continent.

The road to the 2025/26 title will begin with the Preliminary Round between 19–21 September (first leg) and 26–28 September (second leg).

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With 58 teams registered, six clubs – including former continental champions and recent finalists – have received byes into the Second Preliminary Round based on their CAF Club Rankings.

Exempted clubs: Wydad AC (Morocco), USM Alger (Algeria), CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Zamalek SC (Egypt), Al Masry SC (Egypt), Stellenbosch FC (South Africa)

The remaining teams have been divided into three pots according to their CAF Club Ranking and geographical proximity, taking into account regional unions such as UNAF, WAFU, CECAFA, COSAFA, and UNIFFAC.

POTS FOR THE DRAW
Pot 1 – 
Coton Sport (Benin), USFA (Burkina Faso), Aigle Royal (Cameroon), AF Amadou Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire), FC San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire), Asante Kotoko (Ghana), Hafia FC (Guinea), Black Man Warrior (Liberia), ASC Snim (Mauritania), OCS (Morocco), ASN Nigelec (Niger), Abia Warriors (Nigeria), Kwara United (Nigeria), Génération Foot (Senegal), Bhantal FC (Sierra Leone), AS Gbohloe-su (Togo), Stade Tunisien (Tunisia)

Pot 2 – Flambeau du Centre (Burundi), AS Port (Djibouti), Wolitta Dicha SC (Ethiopia), Nairobi United FC (Kenya), Libya 1 (Libya), Libya 2 (Libya), Rayon Sport FC (Rwanda), Dekadaha FC (Somalia), El Merriekh FC Bentiu (South Sudan), Al Ahli Madani (Sudan), Al Zamalek Umr. (Sudan), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Azam FC (Tanzania), NEC FC (Uganda), KMKM SC (Zanzibar)

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Pot 3 – Kabuscorp de Palanca (Angola), CD 1º de Agosto (Angola), Djabal FC (Comoros), RD Congo 1 (DR Congo), RD Congo 2 (DR Congo), FC 15 Agosto (Equatorial Guinea), FC 105 (Gabon), AS Fanalamanga (Madagascar), Mighty Wanderers (Malawi), Pamplemousses (Mauritius), Ferroviário de Maputo (Mozambique), Young Africans FC (Namibia), Foresters FC (Seychelles), Zesco United (Zambia)

Ranked clubs entering in Preliminary Round: Djoliba AC de Bamako (Mali), Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana), Étoile Sportive du Sahel (Tunisia), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Royal Leopards (Eswatini), AS Otohô (Congo)


COMPETITION TIMELINE
Preliminary Round:
 First Leg – 19–21 September 2025; Second Leg – 26–28 September 2025

Second Preliminary Round: First Leg – 17–19 October 2025; Second Leg – 24–26 October 2025

Group Stage: Begins 28 November 2025

Knockout Phase: Starts 3 April 2026

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

CAF Confederation Cup

Renaissance de Berkane are  third-time CAF Confederation Cup winners

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Moroccan side, Renaissance Sportive de Berkane secured a third continental title after drawing against Tanzania’s Simba Sports Club (2-0 in the first leg, 1-1 in the return).

Moroccan football’s representatives had the privilege of being the first to lift the new CAF trophy.

It is the fifth time they have played the final match of the competition, and they were successful in 2020 and 2022.  In the return leg of the final match this Sunday, Berkane overcame challenges put in their way ahead of the match at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.

The match got off to a flying start, with the hosts dominating, determined to open the scoring in the opening minutes of play. Once again, Berkane retreated into defence, a far cry from the spirit displayed in the first leg.

It took about fifteen minutes for Mouine Chaâbani’s men to truly get into the game.

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While they launched their first dangerous attack, a missed opportunity in front of the opposing goal cost them dearly. On the ensuing counterattack, Simba’s Zambian striker, Joshua Mutale, beat goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi in the 17th minute.

The second half resumed with the same intensity, but the tension rose, especially after Simba attacking midfielder Yusuph Kagoma was sent off for a second yellow card.

Berkane then took a numerical advantage and regained control of the game.

Stung to the quick, the home side continued to engage in skirmishes, but without any real threat to goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi.

 Yet, even with ten men down, Simba’s players gave the Berkanis a hard time, posing several threats.

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Deliverance finally came in the 93rd minute thanks to Mamadou Lamine Camara, who scored the equaliser, in a closely contested duel, in a packed stadium, and under the eyes of Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the FRMF, as well as Walid Regragui, national coach. 

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CAF Confederation Cup

Berkane’s coach determined to return with CAF Confederation Cup trophy

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RS Berkane head coach Moine Chaabani says his side is fully focused and prepared for Sunday’s second leg of the Confederation Cup final against Tanzania’s Simba SC, as they seek to secure a third continental title.

The Moroccan club takes a 2-0 lead into the return leg at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar following an early double from Mamadou Camara and Oussama Lamlaoui in the first leg in Berkane.

Speaking ahead of the crucial clash, Chaabani emphasized that his players have left nothing to chance.

“We are focused on the match, and we must adapt to all circumstances, no matter how difficult,” he said during the pre-match press conference.

“We came here to play a 90-minute match, and there is no room for distraction.”

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The Tunisian tactician, who led the team to last year’s final only to suffer defeat against Zamalek, underlined the hunger within the squad to go one step further this time.

“We have worked hard since that disappointment, and today we are even more determined to win the title and bring the cup back to Morocco.”

RS Berkane will be boosted by the availability of key players Haitham Manout and Paul Valery, although final decisions on their involvement will be made after the last training session.

“All players are present. The decision on their participation will depend on their readiness,” he added.

Chaabani also pointed to his side’s growing experience in navigating difficult African environments, saying they are mentally conditioned for the high-stakes occasion.

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“We have a strong immune system to handle these conditions, and we will manage our physical effort according to the match’s progress,” he said.

“We hope to rise to the occasion and succeed in pleasing the Berkane fans, who always support us, to win the title.”

The return leg kicks off at 13:00 GMT on Sunday. A draw or even a narrow defeat by a one-goal margin will be enough for Berkane to lift the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup trophy.

-CAF

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CAF Confederation Cup

Excitement builds ahead of CAF Confederation Cup return leg

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Following a 2-0 win for RS Berkane over Simba SC in the first leg of the 2024-25 CAF Confederation Cup Final in Berkane, Morocco, attention will turn to the return fixture on the island of Zanzibar this Sunday.

The match will be played at Amaan Stadium at 16h00 local time (13h00 GMT) and will be live across all CAF’s broadcast partners, including Azam Media, beIN Sport, Canal+, SuperSport, SABC and several other global platforms.

RS Berkane go to the second leg with the advantage after early goals from Mamadou Camara and Oussama Lamlaoui at home, but Simba SC have shown plenty of fighting spirit already this campaign and will be confident of overturning the deficit. 

The winners of this year’s  CAF Confederation Cup will be awarded a new trophy that will be unveiled later this week.

CAF and host club Simba SC are working closely together to ensure that the event in Zanzibar is a success.

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