CAF Champions League
CAF Names Tanzanian Legends to Conduct Historic Interclub Competitions Draw in Dar es Salaam
As anticipation builds across the continent for the next edition of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced two of Tanzania’s most celebrated football icons as Draw Assistants for Saturday’s historic event in Dar es Salaam.
Simba SC legend Abdalla “King” Kibadeni Mputa and Young Africans SC trailblazer Sunday Manara will take centre stage at the state-of-the-art Azam Media Studios, CAF’s strategic broadcast hub in East Africa, for the draws of Africa’s flagship interclub competitions.
This year’s ceremony, scheduled for 13:00 local time (10:00 GMT), will be the first-ever CAF Interclub season draw hosted in East Africa — a landmark moment that underscores the region’s growing influence, with rising stadium attendances and expanding television audiences for CAF competitions. The event will be broadcast live across all CAF Broadcast Partners and streamed on CAF’s official YouTube channel, CAF TV.
CAF Profiles the Legends
Kibadeni, fondly known as “King Mputa,” became a household name in East African football when he became the first Simba SC player to score a hat-trick in the fiercely contested Kariakoo Derby against Young Africans SC in 1977. After his playing career, he successfully transitioned into coaching, earning the Coach of the Season award with Kagera Sugar FC in 2013.
Manara, meanwhile, holds the distinction of being the first Tanzanian to play professional football in Europe, signing with Dutch side Heracles Almelo in 1977 after debuting for Young Africans SC in 1970. His career took him across the globe, with spells in the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, helping put Tanzanian football firmly on the international map.
Roadmap to the New Season
The Preliminary Round of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup will begin on 19 September 2025, followed by the Second Preliminary Round from 17 October 2025. Group Stage action kicks off on 21 November 2025, with the knockout phase scheduled to start on 13 March 2026.
Saturday’s event will not only reveal the opening matchups for Africa’s top club sides but will also celebrate East Africa’s rising role in shaping the future of African football.
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Nigeria’s four continental representatives — Remo Stars, Rivers United, Abia Warriors, and Kwara United — will discover their preliminary round opponents in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup when the draw is held this Saturday, August 9, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This marks the first time the CAF InterClub competition draws will be hosted in Tanzania, one of the co-hosts of the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Unlike top-seeded clubs from Morocco and Egypt, which have earned exemptions from the preliminary stages due to their superior club coefficients, Nigeria’s flagbearers are expected to feature from the opening round of matches.
CAF Confederation Cup holders RS Berkane of Morocco are among the Champions League clubs automatically exempted, along with Al Ahly of Egypt, Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), and Petro Atlético (Angola).
In the CAF Confederation Cup, Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Zamalek, and Al Masry (both of Egypt) will also bypass the opening round.
CAF announced that Saturday’s draw will take place at 13h00 local time (10h00 GMT) and will be streamed live on CAF’s YouTube channel and through its official broadcast partners.
The event will be hosted at Azam Media Studios in Dar es Salaam — a nod to the growing influence of East Africa in CAF’s broadcasting strategy and audience reach. Azam joins a list of CAF’s key partners, including SuperSport, beIN Sport, and Canal+, that have hosted previous draws.
The draw officially kicks off another season of Africa’s premier club football competitions, with the Preliminary Round scheduled to begin on 19 September 2025.
The Second Preliminary Round follows on 17 October, while the Group Stage action begins on 21 November 2025. The knockout stages will commence on 13 March 2026.
The quartet of Nigerian clubs now await their fate, as they prepare to navigate what promises to be a fiercely competitive InterClub campaign.
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Nigeria’s representatives in the 2025/26 CAF Inter-Club competitions—Remo Stars, Rivers United, Abia Warriors, and Kwara United—will soon discover their opponents as the draw ceremony for both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup is set to hold on August 12 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Remo Stars, the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions, alongside league runners-up Rivers United, will campaign in the CAF Champions League.
Abia Warriors, who finished third in the NPFL, and Kwara United, winners of the 2025 President Federation Cup, will fly Nigeria’s flag in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to release the full list of participating clubs shortly, along with the names of teams that will be exempted from the preliminary round, typically based on their five-year performance ranking in continental competitions.
According to CAF’s calendar, the first preliminary round of both competitions will take place over two legs between September 19 and 28, 2025, while the second round will run from October 17 to 26.
Successful teams will advance to the group stages, scheduled to run from November 2025 through February 2026.
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Egypt’s Pyramids claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa. This led to a 3-2 aggregate success. They celebrated their first African Champions League title. This triumph occurred following the second leg of this year’s final at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday.
The first leg in Pretoria finished 1-1. Fiston Mayele gave Pyramids the lead on 23 minutes. He profited from a Sundowns defensive error. Ahmed Samy doubled the advantage on 56 minutes. He scored with a header from a free-kick.
Sundowns pulled a goal back through Iqraam Rayners with 15 minutes remaining. One more goal would have given them victory in the tie on the away goals rule. However, Pyramids held firm despite heavy pressure from the visitors.
Pyramids are the fourth Egyptian side to lift the Champions League trophy after record 12-time winners Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily. Meanwhile, 2016 champions Sundowns head to this month’s Club World Cup in the United States on a low note.
-Reuters
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CAF Names Tanzanian Legends to Conduct Historic Interclub Competitions Draw in Dar es Salaam
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