Sixty-one clubs started the 2026-27 CAF Champions League. After two preliminary rounds, 16 remain, and the holders are not among them: Mamelodi Sundowns were knocked out by Angola’s Wiliete on away goals. The group stage draw was made in Cairo on 28 October, and the first matchday is on 27 November.
This guide explains how Africa’s biggest club competition works, from qualification to the final, who has won it, what is at stake and who is in this season’s groups. Facts last verified on 29 October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- The CAF Champions League is Africa’s top club competition. It began in 1964 as the African Cup of Champions Clubs and was renamed in 1997. Al Ahly hold the record with 12 titles.
- 61 clubs entered in 2026-27. After two preliminary rounds, 16 reached the group stage, where four groups of four play home and away and the top two in each reach the quarter-finals.
- Holders Mamelodi Sundowns went out in the second preliminary round, and Al Ahly are in the Confederation Cup instead, so for the first time since 2003 the record champions are not in the competition.
- The winner receives US$6 million and the runner-up US$2 million, after CAF raised the prizes in March 2026.
- The group stage runs from 27 November 2026 to 24 January 2027. The finals window is 9 to 31 May 2027, with exact dates still to be confirmed.
- Winners earn a place in the CAF Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the 2025 to 2028 champions take CAF’s four places at the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
A Short History of Africa’s Biggest Club Prize
CAF first staged the competition in 1964 as the African Cup of Champions Clubs, and its roll of winners starts with Oryx Douala of Cameroon. It was renamed the CAF Champions League in 1997, the year the group stage arrived (CAF).
The early decades were shared around the continent. Cameroon’s Canon Yaoundé won three titles between 1971 and 1980, Guinea’s Hafia won three in the 1970s, and TP Mazembe of DR Congo won in 1967 and 1968 before returning to win in 2009, 2010 and 2015. Over the full history, clubs from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have dominated, while sub-Saharan winners such as Orlando Pirates in 1995, Nigeria’s Enyimba in 2003 and 2004, and Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016 have been the exceptions. Egyptian clubs alone have won 19 titles, and our guide to the Egyptian Premier League explains the league behind that record.
The format has changed with the competition’s growth. From 2017 the group stage was widened to 16 clubs in four groups of four, instead of the previous eight. The final has been two-legged since the 2022-23 season, after three seasons of single-match finals. The 2019-20 final was the first between two clubs from the same country.
Two recent finals show how open the title has become. Pyramids FC beat Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate in 2025 for their first African crown, and Sundowns returned a year later to beat Morocco’s AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate for their second.
How Clubs Qualify
Every CAF member association can enter clubs, and the number of places depends on the CAF five-year ranking. The 12 highest-ranked associations can enter two clubs, usually their league champion and runner-up, while every other association is limited to one.
In 2026-27, 61 clubs entered (CAF). CAF exempted its three highest-ranked clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Espérance de Tunis and RS Berkane, from the first preliminary round. The other 58 clubs played 29 two-legged ties, and the winners joined the exempt trio in a 32-club second preliminary round. The 16 winners of that round reached the group stage. CAF sorted clubs into five levels by ranking and kept clubs from the same country apart in the preliminary rounds.
Qualifying ties are settled over two legs, and level aggregates go to away goals before penalties. That is how Angola’s Wiliete eliminated holders Sundowns: a 0-0 draw in Lubango, then a 1-1 draw in Pretoria. Clubs knocked out in the preliminary rounds receive US$100,000 each.
Who Is Missing in 2026-27
The biggest absentee is Al Ahly. They finished third in the Egyptian league, only the top two Egyptian clubs enter the Champions League, and so Al Ahly are in the Confederation Cup. It is their first time outside the Champions League since 2003 (Foot Africa). The Egyptian FA asked CAF for extra slots for 2026-27, but CAF declined, and the EFA says the proposal could be considered from the season after next. Zamalek and Pyramids carry Egypt’s flag instead.
Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, Raja Casablanca and AS FAR, last season’s runners-up, did not qualify either, and Nigeria’s Enyimba are also missing. Morocco is represented by RS Berkane and MAS de Fès. For the competition Al Ahly now play in, see our guide to the CAF Confederation Cup.
Format: From Preliminary Rounds to the Final
The competition has four stages: two preliminary rounds, a group stage, knockout rounds from the quarter-finals, and a two-legged final. It takes about eight months from the first preliminary tie in September to the final in May.
The Group Stage
The 16 qualified clubs play in four groups of four, home and away, for six matches each. The top two in every group advance to the quarter-finals, and third and fourth place are eliminated. In recent seasons the groups were drawn from four pots, so each group had one club from each pot. This season’s draw was held at the Egyptian FA’s headquarters in Cairo on 28 October 2026 (Kawowo).
| Group | Clubs |
|---|---|
| A | Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), Petro Atlético (Angola), FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania), Wiliete (Angola) |
| B | Zamalek (Egypt), Young Africans (Tanzania), MC Alger (Algeria), Club Africain (Tunisia) |
| C | RS Berkane (Morocco), Simba SC (Tanzania), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Colombe Sportive (Cameroon) |
| D | Pyramids FC (Egypt), Al Hilal (Sudan), Horoya (Guinea), MAS de Fès (Morocco) |
Six former champions are in the field: Espérance, Zamalek, Pyramids, MC Alger, Club Africain and Orlando Pirates.
The Knockout Rounds
All knockout ties are over two legs. In 2025-26, the four group winners were seeded in the quarter-final draw and hosted the second leg, and clubs from the same group could not meet in the quarter-finals. The semi-finals and the final are also played home and away. CAF has not yet confirmed the exact final dates for 2026-27, only the 9 to 31 May window.
The 2026-27 Calendar
The calendar below follows the schedule CAF released in July, as reported by Le360. Preliminary rounds are finished, so the next date is the opening group matchday.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| First preliminary round | 4 to 6 September 2026 and 11 to 13 September (played) |
| Second preliminary round | 16 to 18 October and 23 to 25 October (played) |
| Group stage matchday 1 | 27 to 29 November 2026 |
| Group stage matchday 2 | 4 to 6 December |
| Group stage matchday 3 | 18 to 20 December |
| Group stage matchday 4 | 8 to 10 January 2027 |
| Group stage matchdays 5 and 6 | January 2027, finishing on 24 January |
| Quarter-finals | 26 to 28 February and 5 to 7 March |
| Semi-finals | 9 to 11 April and 16 to 18 April |
| Final | 9 to 31 May 2027 (exact dates to be confirmed) |
There is one scheduling difference from last season. In 2025-26 the group stage paused for AFCON in Morocco. This year the finals window closes on 31 May, well before AFCON 2027 begins on 19 June, so the two do not clash. Our AFCON 2027 guide covers the tournament, and our 2027 African football calendar shows how the whole year fits together.
Prize Money and What Winning Unlocks
CAF raised the champion’s prize from US$4 million to US$6 million on 9 March 2026, mid-way through the 2025-26 season, and the Confederation Cup winner’s prize doubled from US$2 million to US$4 million (Ahram Online). The new figures were applied to that season’s quarter-finalists, and CAF has kept them unchanged for 2026-27. When Patrice Motsepe took office in 2021, the Champions League winner received US$2.5 million.
| Result | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|
| Champions | 6 million |
| Runners-up | 2 million |
| Eliminated in the preliminary rounds | 100,000 per club |
Cash is only part of the reward. The winner also earns:
- A CAF Super Cup match against the Confederation Cup winner. This season’s edition, between Sundowns and USM Alger, is on 8 November 2026 in Tshwane.
- A place in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the annual tournament that brings together the six confederation champions.
- A route to the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. CAF’s four places at the 32-team tournament go to the winners of the 2025 to 2028 editions, and Pyramids already hold one after their 2025 title. By the same rule, Sundowns’ 2026 title earns a second place.
Records and Past Winners
No club comes close to Al Ahly. The Cairo giants have won the competition 12 times, and they have taken four of the last seven editions. Twenty-seven different clubs have won the title since 1964.
| Club | Country | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahly | Egypt | 12 | 1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| Zamalek | Egypt | 5 | 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 2002 |
| TP Mazembe | DR Congo | 5 | 1967, 1968, 2009, 2010, 2015 |
| Espérance de Tunis | Tunisia | 4 | 1994, 2011, 2018, 2019 |
| Wydad Casablanca | Morocco | 3 | 1992, 2017, 2022 |
| Raja Casablanca | Morocco | 3 | 1989, 1997, 1999 |
| Canon Yaoundé | Cameroon | 3 | 1971, 1978, 1980 |
| Hafia | Guinea | 3 | 1972, 1975, 1977 |
Each edition is labelled by the year of its final.
The Last Seven Champions
| Season | Champion | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Al Ahly | Egypt |
| 2020-21 | Al Ahly | Egypt |
| 2021-22 | Wydad Casablanca | Morocco |
| 2022-23 | Al Ahly | Egypt |
| 2023-24 | Al Ahly | Egypt |
| 2024-25 | Pyramids FC | Egypt |
| 2025-26 | Mamelodi Sundowns | South Africa |
Egypt’s grip on the trophy goes beyond Al Ahly. Zamalek and Pyramids are both in this season’s groups, while our guide to the PSL explains the South African league behind Sundowns, the 2026 champions, and this season’s remaining South African entrant, Orlando Pirates.
What to Watch in 2026-27
With the holders and the record champions both absent, the title race looks wide open, and the draw has produced some unusual groups. CAF’s account of how the 16 clubs qualified has the full detail.
- Group A pairs four-time champions Espérance with two Angolan sides, Petro Atlético and the history-making Wiliete, plus Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou.
- Group B has three North African clubs, Zamalek, MC Alger and Club Africain, plus Tanzania’s Young Africans. MC Alger reached the groups after overturning a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Rangers with three second-half goals. Our guide to the Algerian Ligue 1 covers their league.
- Group C puts 1995 champions Orlando Pirates with RS Berkane, Colombe Sportive of Cameroon and Simba SC, who are coached by South African Steve Barker.
- Group D features Pyramids, the 2025 champions, with Al Hilal of Sudan, Horoya of Guinea and Morocco’s MAS de Fès.
Tanzania has two clubs in the groups, Simba and Young Africans, and both reached this stage by comfortable aggregate margins.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many clubs play in the group stage? Sixteen, in four groups of four. The top two in each group reach the quarter-finals.
Who won the 2025-26 Champions League? Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat AS FAR 2-1 on aggregate in May 2026.
Who are the current holders in the 2026-27 competition? Sundowns were the holders but were eliminated in the second preliminary round by Wiliete on away goals.
Which club has won the most titles? Al Ahly, with 12.
Is Al Ahly in the 2026-27 Champions League? No. They finished third in Egypt and are in the Confederation Cup instead.
How much does the winner receive? US$6 million, with US$2 million for the runner-up.
When is the final? CAF’s finals window is 9 to 31 May 2027, and the exact dates of the two legs have not been confirmed.
Once the fixtures are set, our Champions League hub tracks the competition as it unfolds.