As per the draw in Tanzania, the Ghanaian giants will host the first leg before heading to Ilorin for the return match. The aggregate winners will move on to face Moroccan top-flight team Wydad AC in the second round.

Senegal’s Generation Foot will faceCote d’Ivoire’s Amadou Diallo FC, with the victors earning a clash against former CAF Confederation Cup champions USM Alger.

In another captivating match, Guinea’s Hafia FC will take on Algeria’s CR Belouizdad, while Burkina Faso’s USFA will host Nigeria’s Abia Warriors, with Mali’s Djoliba AC waiting in the Second Preliminary Round.

Zambia’s Zesco United will clash with Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers for a potential matchup against Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy, while DR Congo’s second representative faces Angola’s Kabuscorp de Palanca for the chance to meet South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs.

In other matches, Tanzania’s Azam FC must overcome Zanzibar’s KMKM SC and South Sudan’s El Merriekh Bentiu to advance, while Uganda’s NEC FC faces Sudan’s Al Ahli Madani, with Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive du Sahel waiting for the winners.

Six of Africa’s top-ranked clubs, including: Wydad AC (Morocco), USM Alger and CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Zamalek SC and Al Masry SC (Egypt), and Stellenbosch FC (South Africa) received byes into the Second Preliminary Round due to their strong standings in the CAF Club Rankings.

The quest for glory begins with the Preliminary Round, played over two legs on the weekends of September 19th-21st and September 26th-28th. Winners will progress to the Second Preliminary Round, scheduled for October 17th-19th, with return matches from October 24th-26th.

Successful teams will secure their places in the Group Stage, which commences on November 21st. From there, the best will compete through to the knockout phase, starting on March 13th, 2026, all aiming to lift African football’s most prestigious club trophy.