Orlando Pirates the lone SA side in CAF Champions League groups
Orlando Pirates will carry South Africa's hopes in the CAF Champions League groups after Mamelodi Sundowns exited in the second round, with the draw set for Wednesday.
The 16 clubs for the CAF Champions League group stage are now known, and South Africa will have just one team among them. According to iDiski Times, Orlando Pirates are the lone representative after defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns were eliminated over the weekend.
Sundowns out, Pirates through
Sundowns went out to Angola’s Wiliete SC. The tie finished 1-1 on aggregate, and Wiliete advanced because of the away goals they scored. Pirates had a far easier time, beating African Stars 5-0 over the two legs.
It is the same story as last year in terms of numbers, with South Africa again sending only one side into the groups. This time, though, the roles are reversed: Sundowns fell early and Pirates made it.
The qualified teams, grouped by country, are:
- Egypt: Pyramids FC and Zamalek SC
- Morocco: MAS de Fès and RS Berkane
- Tunisia: Club Africain and Espérance
- Tanzania: Simba SC and Young Africans
- Angola: Petro Atlético and Wiliete SC
- Algeria: MC Alger
- Cameroon: Colombe Sportive
- Guinea: Horoya AC
- Mauritania: FC Nouadhibou
- South Africa: Orlando Pirates
- Sudan: Al Hilal Omdurman
Pyramids, Espérance, Zamalek and MC Alger have all won the competition before. Two South African coaches also took their teams through: Steve Barker with Simba and Manqoba Mngqithi with Young Africans. Mngqithi has nevertheless been sacked, after Young Africans slipped to five points behind their rivals in the league.
Draw and what comes next
The Confederation of African Football says the group stage draw will be held at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. It starts at 15h00 local time, which is 14h00 in South Africa. The 16 clubs will be split into four groups of four, and the top two in each group will move into the quarter-finals. Group matches are scheduled to start in November.
The winners of this season’s competition are due to receive a record USD 6 million, about R100 million.
Confederation Cup draw on the same day
The CAF Confederation Cup group stage draw takes place on Wednesday too, at the same venue. It begins at 14h00 local time (13h00 SAST). Durban City are South Africa’s qualifier for that competition. Kaizer Chiefs missed out, losing on penalties to Zambia’s Red Arrows in the preliminary round.
For local supporters, the dates to note are the two draws on 28 October, which will show Pirates’ group opponents and Durban City’s, ahead of a November start.
This story is based on reporting by iDiski Times.
