The second-leg ties of the second preliminary round wrapped up on Sunday, and the 2026-27 CAF Champions League group stage now has its sixteen participants. The clubs will discover their opponents at the draw on October 28.
The headline-maker is Wiliete. The Angolan club knocked out defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns on the away-goals rule after a 1-1 aggregate score. In the first leg in Angola, the South Africans were held to a 0-0 draw despite numerous chances, repeatedly denied by goalkeeper Elber Binha. Wiliete, based in Benguela, had to host the match in Lubango, 355 kilometres away, because their own stadium did not meet CAF standards. Before the tie, their Brazilian coach Beto Bianchi insisted his side would not be intimidated, arguing that his players were of the same level as Sundowns. The pitch proved him right. The South African champions, who hoped to join Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, Enyimba and Espérance as clubs that have retained the title, exit the competition at their very first hurdle.
Wiliete are not the only newcomers celebrating. Cameroon’s Colombe Sportive will also play in the group stage for the first time in their history. The Yaoundé side eliminated Senegal’s Teungueth FC 3-0 on aggregate, having laid the foundations in the first leg in Dakar, where they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Eyango Priso and Musah.
Other regulars suffered abrupt exits. TP Mazembe lost 1-0 in Radès to Club Africain, undone by a defensive error in first-half stoppage time, after a 1-1 draw in Lubumbashi. In Abidjan, ASEC Mimosas were beaten by Maghreb de Fès (1-2), who turned the tie around through Christopher Ibayi in the 62nd minute and Khalid Baba in the 97th.
The final line-up reflects the geographical diversity of African club football. Egypt will be represented by Pyramids and Zamalek, Tunisia by Espérance de Tunis and Club Africain, and Morocco by RS Berkane and MAS Fès. Tanzania fields Simba and Young Africans, while Angola has Petro de Luanda and Wiliete. MC Alger will fly the Algerian flag alone, as will Orlando Pirates for South Africa and Horoya AC for Guinea. Al Hilal (Sudan), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) and Colombe Sportive (Cameroon) complete the list.
For the draw, the sixteen teams are split into four pots. Espérance, Berkane, Pyramids and Zamalek make up the first, ahead of Al Hilal, Simba, Young Africans and Petro de Luanda in the second. MC Alger, Orlando Pirates, Nouadhibou and Horoya form the third, while Club Africain, Wiliete, Colombe Sportive and MAS Fès are in the fourth. The make-up of the groups will offer, from Wednesday, a first sense of the balance of power in this edition.
