The draw for the CAF club competitions was done in Cairo on Tuesday. Clubs across the African continent now know their paths to the group stages of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
The first legs of both competitions will be played over the weekend of 18-20 August, with the second legs set for a week later. It is now the norm that the CAF Confederation Cup matches are played on a Sunday. Friday night and Saturday are reserved for the CAF Champions League.
The 10 top-ranked clubs according to CAF were exempted from the 1st preliminary round. This season also sees the absence of the Play-Off Round which served as a second chance for clubs eliminated from the CAF Champions League. This will mean that some big names will sit out continental football for a year. CAF has also saved an already congested football by canceling this extra round of matches. The continental football governing body is still trying to fit that Africa Super League into the calendar.
Gor Mahia FC of Kenya was withdrawn from the draw after being reported for non-payment of former employees. Zimbabwe’s clubs were also not in the hat because a FIFA ban was still in effect when clubs were registered. Thirteen other football associations did not enter clubs into the CAF competitions mainly because of affordability.