Fixtures, results and everything you need to know about the CAF Champions League, African club football’s premier competition. The 2026-27 edition is currently in its preliminary qualifying rounds, ahead of a 16-team group stage.
What is the CAF Champions League?
The CAF Champions League is African club football’s top competition, run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Its modern era began in 1997, when it was rebranded and restructured from the African Cup of Champions Clubs, a competition that had run since 1964 for the champions of each national league on the continent.
Because the entry pool spans more than 50 African football associations of very different strength, the competition starts with a long qualifying phase: a series of two-legged preliminary rounds — Round 1, Round 2 and a further playoff round — that gradually cut a field of 60-plus entrants down to the 16 clubs that make the group stage. Only once that group stage is drawn and under way do a standings table and knockout bracket become relevant.
Right now, for the 2026-27 season, the competition is still in that qualifying phase: Round 1 is mostly complete (57 of 79 qualifying matches played so far) and Round 2 fixtures start rolling in from mid-October 2026. This page will expand to show the group-stage table and knockout bracket once qualifying concludes and the 16-team draw is made — see the status note below.
Al Ahly of Egypt are the competition’s most successful club by a wide margin, with 12 titles. Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions, having beaten Pyramids FC on aggregate in the 2025-26 final, completed in May 2026.
Fixtures and results
Kickoff times auto-convert to your local time (UTC shown if JavaScript is off). Updated Tue 20 Oct, 21:30 UTCUpcoming fixtures
Simba SC
vsScottland FC
vsAfrican Stars
vsWiliete SC
vs
Enugu Rangers International FC
vsCffa
vsAL Swehly SC
vs
Horoya AC
vsAl Merriekh FC Bentiu
vsApr FC
vs
TP Mazembe
vsStar Sport AcademyvsFC 15 de Agosto Guinea de Akonibe
vs
Sidama Bunna SC
vs
Maghreb AS de Fes
vs
FC San PedroRecent results
1 - 1ASEC MimosasEsperance Sportive de Tunis1 - 0Al-Merrikh SC (SDN)Mamelodi Sundowns0 - 2AL Hilal (SDN)Atletico Petroleos de Luanda2 - 0MC Alger2 - 1FC NouadhibouRs Berkane1 - 1AfricainOrlando Pirates FCYoung Africans SCZamalek SCPyramids FC0 - 0
Vipers SC5 - 1
Gor Mahia FC3 - 0Aiglons FCGroup stage status
The 2026-27 CAF Champions League is still in its qualifying rounds — Round 1 is mostly complete and Round 2 is just getting under way, with a further playoff round still to come.
Standings and a knockout bracket will appear here once the 16-team group stage begins later in the season. Until then, see the qualifying fixtures and results above, and the format explainer below for how the road to the group stage works.
AI predictions
Predicted scores and win probabilities for CAF Champions League fixturesHow the CAF Champions League works
Preliminary qualifying rounds
A large pool of clubs from across African football associations — 60-plus entrants for 2026-27 — play a series of two-legged preliminary rounds: Round 1, Round 2 and a further playoff round. Each round eliminates roughly half the remaining field on aggregate score.
Group stage
The 16 clubs that survive qualifying are drawn into four groups of four. Each club plays the other three in its group home and away in a round-robin table, with the top two in each group advancing.
Quarterfinals and semifinals
The eight group winners and runners-up move into two-legged, home-and-away quarterfinals, then two-legged semifinals, all decided on aggregate score.
Final
The two semifinal winners meet in a two-legged final, played home and away, with the aggregate winner crowned CAF Champions League champion.
History and records
The story so far
Al Ahly of Egypt are the CAF Champions League’s dominant club, with 12 titles — a tally no other side comes close to across both the modern CAF Champions League era (since 1997) and its predecessor, the African Cup of Champions Clubs (1964-1996). Their most recent title came in 2024.
Mamelodi Sundowns enter 2026-27 as defending champions after beating Pyramids FC on aggregate in the 2025-26 final, completed in May 2026. With the 2026-27 competition still working through its preliminary qualifying rounds, this page will add the group-stage table, quarterfinal and semifinal ties, and the final once that stage of the season is reached.
Clubs currently in qualifying
52 clubs · appearing in Round 1 results or Round 2 fixtures · more will be eliminated as qualifying continuesAL Hilal (SDN)ASEC MimosasAfricainAl-Merrikh SC (SDN)Atletico Petroleos de Luanda
Djoliba ACEnugu Rangers International FCFC NouadhibouFC San PedroGor Mahia FCHoroya AC
JS SaouraMC AlgerMaghreb AS de FesMamelodi SundownsOrlando Pirates FC
Pyramids FC
Rivers United FCRs BerkaneSidama Bunna SCSimba SC
Stade Malien de BamakoTP Mazembe
UD Do SongoVipers SCYoung Africans SC
Zamalek SCCAF Champions League FAQs
How do teams qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage?
Through a series of two-legged preliminary qualifying rounds — currently Round 1 (mostly complete) and Round 2 (kicking off mid-October 2026), with a further playoff round still to come. These rounds whittle the 60-plus entrants down to the 16 clubs that make the group stage.
How many teams reach the CAF Champions League group stage?
16 clubs, drawn into four groups of four for a round-robin group stage. The group winners and runners-up (eight clubs in total) advance to the two-legged quarterfinals.
Is the CAF Champions League group stage a straight knockout or a table?
It’s a round-robin table within each of the four groups. Every club in a group plays the other three home and away, and the top two in each group progress.
Who has won the most CAF Champions League titles?
Al Ahly of Egypt, with 12 titles — by a wide margin the most successful club in the competition’s history, most recently winning in 2024.
Who is the defending CAF Champions League champion?
Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the 2025-26 title on aggregate against Pyramids FC in a final completed in May 2026.
When does the 2026-27 CAF Champions League group stage begin?
Later in the 2026-27 season, once the preliminary qualifying rounds — Round 1, Round 2 and a further playoff round — have concluded and the 16-team group stage draw is made. An exact date hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Was the CAF Champions League always called that?
No. The modern CAF Champions League was established in 1997 as a rebrand and restructuring of the African Cup of Champions Clubs, which had run since 1964.
Where can I see the CAF Champions League table and knockout bracket?
They’ll appear on this page once the 16-team group stage begins. Right now the competition is still in its qualifying rounds, so there’s no group table or bracket to show yet — see the fixtures and results above instead.
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Qualifying-round fixtures and results are pulled from the client’s live match data feed and refreshed periodically. Team crests are hosted on this site; kickoff times are shown in the visitor’s local timezone. The group-stage table and knockout bracket will be added once the 2026-27 CAF Champions League group stage begins.