The 2025/26 season of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League gets underway today, Friday, 19 September 2025.
In a press statement released Thursday, CAF stated that a record number of 62 clubs registered for the 2025/26 season underscoring CAF’s ongoing efforts to broaden participation and enhance the competitiveness of African football.
With enhanced financial support, historic levels of participation, and an exciting programme of fixtures, the 2025/26 CAF Interclub season is set to reinforce its reputation as the pinnacle of African club football.
To further support clubs across the continent, CAF has introduced a new financial initiative where teams eliminated in the first two preliminary rounds will each receive USD 100,000 to assist in covering logistical expenses.
This measure is designed to encourage broader representation and strengthen the foundation of the competitions.
Most of the preliminary round first-leg fixtures will be contested between September 19 and 21, with the second-leg matches scheduled for September 26–28, 2025.
Victorious clubs will progress to the Second Preliminary Round, set for October 17–19 (first leg) and October 24–26, 2025 (second leg).
The Group Stage will commence on November 21, 2025, culminating in the knockout phase, which is scheduled to begin on March 13, 2026.
While some of the continent’s club heavyweights will not feature this weekend, the draw which was conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, last month has produced several highly anticipated encounters.
Winners of last season’s TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, RS Berkane will contest the CAF Champions League this season after clinching the Moroccan championship. They face Togo’s ASC Kara in their opening encounter.
Last season’s semi-finalists, Orlando Pirates face a tricky test against Lesotho’s Lioli FC, while Zambia’s Power Dynamos meet Ivorian heavyweights, Asec Mimosas.
The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League will be beamed live across all CAF’s official broadcast partners, with exclusive behind-the-scenes content curated across all CAF Digital platforms.
By Anita Omwenga
