CAF Confederation Cup: Shooting Stars, El Kanemi Warriors face tough tests

Ayodele Ismail at Shooting Stars (Photo credit: Shooting SC/X)

The draw for the 2026 CAF Confederation Cup has been held in Cairo, Egypt, with clubs now discovering their path to the group stage of the competition, Soccernet.ng reports.

CAF had earlier confirmed the draw format, with clubs seeded based on their rankings and recent performances in continental competitions.

The eight highest-ranked teams received byes into the second preliminary round from the 56 clubs that entered the tournament.

The remaining 48 teams were paired to face each other over two legs in the first preliminary round. The 24 winners will then join the eight seeded teams in the second preliminary round, also known as the Round of 32.

The 16 winners from that stage will qualify for the group stage, where they will battle for the title currently held by USM Alger, who defeated Zamalek over two legs in last season’s final.

Soccer Shooting Stars, El Kanemi discover CAF Confederation Cup opponents

Nigeria’s representatives, Shooting Stars and El Kanemi Warriors, have both been handed difficult routes to the group stage following the draw.

Shooting Stars will take on three-time CAF Confederation Cup champions CS Sfaxien in one of the standout ties of the opening round. Should the Ibadan-based club progress, they will face either AF Amadou Diallo or East End Lions in the second preliminary round.

The Oluyole Warriors secured their place in the competition after finishing third in the Nigeria Premier Football League last season, marking their return to continental football for the first time in 27 years.

El Kanemi Warriors, who qualified by winning the President Federation Cup, will face UDIB in the first preliminary round. If they advance, they will meet two-time CAF Confederation Cup winners Raja CA in another daunting test.

The first-leg matches of the opening preliminary round are scheduled to take place between September 4 and 6, while the return fixtures will be played from September 11 to 13.

The second preliminary round is scheduled for October, with the winners advancing to the group stage of the competition.

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin