African Champions League Group Stage Starts 27 November
SPORT · AFRICA
Key Facts
- Date Group stage from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 24 January 2027, over six matchdays. The draw is expected in Cairo on Wednesday 28 October 2026, a date not yet officially confirmed.
- Venue The home stadiums of the 16 qualified clubs across Africa, set by the draw. No group-stage venue is known yet.
- Format 16 clubs in four groups of four, each club playing six matches. The top two in each group go to the quarter-finals.
- Tickets Not on sale. No group-stage ticket seller has been named, and fixtures only exist after the draw.
- Prices Not published.
- Kick-off Not published. Matchdays run from Friday to Sunday.
- Prize US$6 million for the champion, a record.
- TV for US fans beIN SPORTS was named for the United States for last season’s final. Group-stage rights for 2026/27 are not announced.
- For US visitors Egypt requires a visa for US citizens, while Morocco allows stays under 90 days without one. The State Department rates Egypt, South Africa and Morocco at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution.
The group stage of the 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, Africa’s top club competition run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), opens on Friday 27 November 2026 and ends on Sunday 24 January 2027. Sixteen clubs will play in four groups of four, and media reports say the draw that sets them will be held in Cairo on Wednesday 28 October.
For US fans the practical point is that nothing has been drawn yet, so no group-stage fixture, ticket, price or kick-off time exists. This guide sets out the calendar, the format, the clubs still in contention and what to check before booking travel.
Where the Competition Stands on 19 October
The season began in September with 61 clubs, and 32 of them were still in contention when the Second Preliminary Round started. The first legs of that round were played from 16 to 18 October, and the return legs follow from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October.
The 16 winners of those two-legged ties form the group-stage field, as CAF confirmed when it made the preliminary draws in Cairo on 6 August. No club has qualified yet, so every name in this guide is provisional until the second legs are played.
Group Stage Format and Calendar
CAF’s published regulations place the 16 qualifiers in four groups of four, with the groups drawn according to CAF’s club ranking over the previous five editions. A national association may not have more than two clubs in the same group.
Each club plays six group matches, home and away, with three points for a win and one for a draw. Ties on points are settled first by points and goal difference in the matches between the clubs concerned, then by away goals in those matches and overall goal difference.
The four group winners and the four runners-up reach the quarter-finals, where winners meet runners-up in a draw of lots. Clubs that were in the same group cannot meet again in that round.
CAF’s 2026/27 calendar sets six group matchdays, each spread over a Friday to Sunday window. The organising committee fixes the exact date and kick-off time of each match after the draw.
- Matchday 1: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026
- Matchday 2: Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026
- Matchday 3: Friday 18 to Sunday 20 December 2026
- Matchday 4: Friday 8 to Sunday 10 January 2027
- Matchday 5: Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January 2027
- Matchday 6: Friday 22 to Sunday 24 January 2027
The quarter-finals follow from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 February 2027, with the second legs from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 March. The semi-finals are scheduled for 9 to 11 April and 16 to 18 April, and the final is set for a window from 9 to 31 May 2027 with exact dates not yet confirmed.
On Friday 2 October CAF’s executive committee approved changes to the interclub regulations, including a limit of 40 registered players per club. Disciplinary cases now go to the Disciplinary Board instead of the interclub committee.
Who Is Still in the Race
Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa beat AS FAR of Morocco 2-1 on aggregate last season to win a second continental title. They drew 0-0 at Wiliete of Angola on Sunday 18 October and host the second leg in Pretoria next weekend.
Tunisia’s Espérance, a four-time winner, lost 1-0 at Libya’s Swehly in Misurata and must recover in Tunis. Morocco’s RS Berkane won in Monrovia through a first-half brace from Oussam Lamlioui against Star Sport Academy of Sierra Leone.
Zamalek won 1-0 at APR FC of Rwanda through a 90th-minute goal from substitute Nasser Mansi, and Pyramids won 1-0 at El Merriekh Bentiu of South Sudan in Juba. Both return legs are in Cairo on Saturday 24 October, and Pyramids will be without two suspended defenders.
South Africa’s Orlando Pirates won 1-0 at African Stars of Namibia, and Tanzania’s Young Africans won 4-0 at CFFA of Madagascar. TP Mazembe of DR Congo drew 1-1 at home with Club Africain of Tunisia, and the return is in Radès on Sunday 25 October.
Nigeria’s Rangers International beat MC Alger of Algeria 2-0 in Abeokuta despite playing most of the match with ten men. Zimbabwe’s Scottland FC beat Petro Atlético of Angola 2-0, and Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman won 2-0 at Sidama Bunna of Ethiopia.
Guinea’s Horoya beat Sudan’s Al Merrikh 1-0 in Conakry, and Cameroon’s Colombe Sportive won 2-0 at Teungueth of Senegal. ASEC Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire drew 1-1 at MAS Fès of Morocco, and FC San Pedro beat FC Nouadhibou of Mauritania 2-1.
The remaining tie, between Simba SC of Tanzania and 15 de Agosto of Equatorial Guinea, is not covered here because we could not verify its first-leg result. Al Hilal, Zamalek and Pyramids are in the field, but Al Ahly, which CAF lists as a 12-time champion, does not appear in this season’s Champions League draw.
The Group Stage Draw on 28 October
Egyptian and Sudanese media reported on 17 and 18 October that CAF has set the group-stage draws for both the Champions League and the Confederation Cup for Wednesday 28 October at its Cairo headquarters, but CAF has not yet posted the date on its own website. The draw follows the end of the second preliminary round, and no report gives a start time.
Last season CAF held the group-stage draw in Johannesburg on Monday 3 November 2025, at 14h00 local time. CAF’s August draws were streamed live on its official YouTube channel, CAF TV, so that channel is the first place to look.
How US Fans Can Watch
CAF listed beIN SPORTS as its broadcaster for the United States for the 2025/26 final, and beIN’s US site has a CAF Champions League section. CAF has not announced who holds group-stage rights for 2026/27, so do not assume the final arrangement carries over.
The beIN SPORTS US competition page we opened names no channel and no group-stage schedule. Check the beIN SPORTS US TV guide before each matchday, because no group-stage kick-off times have been published.
From Sunday 1 November 2026 US Eastern time is five hours behind GMT, and CAF quotes kick-offs in local time and GMT. A 16h00 GMT start, for example, would be 11 a.m. Eastern.
What Is at Stake for the Clubs
The champion receives a record US$6 million, and the Confederation Cup winner receives US$4 million. CAF also pays each club eliminated in the preliminary rounds US$100,000 toward travel and logistics.
Foot Africa notes that the winner’s prize was US$2.5 million before CAF raised it by 140 percent. That makes the competition a significant source of income for African clubs.
Travel Notes for US Visitors
The host cities are unknown until the draw, but several clubs in contention play in Egypt, South Africa and Morocco, so we checked the State Department pages for those countries. Rules differ sharply, so confirm the entry rules for the actual host country once fixtures are set.
The State Department’s Egypt page says US citizens need a visa, with a 30-day tourist e-visa at Cairo airport costing US$36 and a visa on arrival at other entry points costing US$30 in cash. It requires a passport valid for six months with at least one blank page, and the page is dated 11 August 2025.
The Egypt advisory is Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, citing terrorism, crime and health, and it carries a 15 July 2025 issue date. It tells travellers not to go to North and Middle Sinai and to avoid protests and demonstrations.
The Morocco page says no visa is required for visits of fewer than 90 days and asks for a passport with six months of validity, and it was last updated on 4 June 2025. The Morocco advisory is also Level 2, citing terrorism, and was reissued on 21 April 2025.
The South Africa advisory is Level 2 and was issued on 27 May 2025, warning that violent crime is more common in downtown areas after dark and that victims have been followed from OR Tambo Airport. We could not open the department’s South Africa entry page, so check it before booking.
Big South African fixtures can sell out quickly, as the Soweto Derby ticket sell-out showed for Orlando Pirates’ city rivals. Wait for the draw before paying for flights, since every group-stage venue is still unknown.
What Is Not Known Yet
No group-stage opponent, fixture, venue, kick-off time, ticket price or ticket seller has been published, and none can exist before the draw. The 16 qualifiers are only settled after the return legs from 23 to 25 October.
The 28 October draw date comes from media reports and not from CAF’s own pages, and the draw time is not stated. We also could not confirm which US broadcaster holds group-stage rights or whether any matches will be streamed free.
The regulations we read are an undated CAF document, and the 2026/27 calendar confirms only the six matchdays and the knockout windows. The State Department pages carry 2025 dates, so check them again before you travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the CAF Champions League group stage start?
The group stage starts on Friday 27 November 2026, with the first matchday running to Sunday 29 November. It has six matchdays and ends on Sunday 24 January 2027.
How can US fans watch the CAF Champions League?
CAF named beIN SPORTS as its United States broadcaster for the 2025/26 final, but it has not announced group-stage rights for 2026/27. Check the beIN SPORTS US TV guide once the draw sets the fixtures.
Do US citizens need a visa to attend group-stage matches?
It depends on the host country, which is not known until the draw. Egypt requires a visa for US citizens, while Morocco allows visits of fewer than 90 days without one, according to State Department pages.
Sources: CAF, match calendar, 2 July 2026; CAF, draw procedures explainer, 6 August 2026; CAF, preliminary round draw, 6 August 2026; CAF, Second Preliminary Round preview, 15 October 2026; CAF, results, 16 October 2026; CAF, results, 17 October 2026; CAF, results, 17 October 2026; CAF, results, 18 October 2026; CAF, results, 18 October 2026; CAF, executive committee decisions, 3 October 2026; CAF, 2025/26 final broadcasters, 15 May 2026; CAF, draws on CAF TV, 6 August 2026; CAF, 2025/26 group-stage draw, 2 November 2025; CAF Champions League Regulations (undated); Sudan Horizon, 17 October 2026; Foot Africa, 27 July 2026; beIN SPORTS US, CAF Champions League page; US State Department, Egypt entry requirements; US State Department, Egypt advisory; US State Department, Morocco entry requirements; US State Department, Morocco advisory; US State Department, South Africa advisory, all read on 19 October 2026 unless dated otherwise.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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