CAF Champions League 2026–27 Preliminary Draw Date Set

The road to the 2026–27 CAF Champions League group stage now has a starting line.

CAF has, according to Moroccan outlet El Botola, pencilled in August 6 for the preliminary-round draw of Africa’s flagship club competition, with Cairo set to host the ceremony. The date comes from an official source within CAF’s Club Competitions Committee, signalling that the new campaign is beginning to take shape behind the scenes.

The draw will be staged once the club registration window shuts and all participating squads receive the green light from their respective national associations. Only then will Africa’s contenders know their first hurdles on the long climb toward the group phase.

Behind the calendar decision lies a firmer stance on structure. El Botola reports that CAF has formally turned down a proposal from the Egyptian Football Association to expand the number of clubs involved in its interclub tournaments. The Competitions Committee opted to hold the line, keeping the existing format intact for 2026–27 rather than opening the door to structural tweaks.

So the Champions League will look and feel familiar next season: same framework, same stages, same unforgiving preliminary rounds where dreams often end before the wider continent even takes notice.

Morocco’s standard-bearers are already known. RS Berkane and Maghreb de Fès will carry the country’s hopes into the competition, both targeting deep runs on the continental stage. For them, the August 6 draw is more than a date; it is the moment that will map out their first steps, their travel, their early risks.

The preliminary draw will lay out those opening fixtures, pairing giants with upstarts, regulars with debutants, and setting in motion another campaign where a bad 90 minutes in August can kill a season’s ambition.