Confederation Cup: Al Ahly, twelve-time African champion, drawn with Raja and ASKO de Kara

The group stage draw for the CAF Confederation Cup, held on October 28, 2026, at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters in Cairo, placed Al Ahly in Group A alongside Raja Club Athletic (Morocco), ASKO de Kara (Togo), and Primeiro de Agosto (Angola).

The presence of the Cairo club in the continent's second-tier competition is the main event of this draw. Al Ahly remains the absolute record-holder of the African Champions League, with twelve titles won between 1982 and 2024. However, they finished third in the 2025-2026 Egyptian league with 53 points, behind Zamalek (56) and Pyramids FC (54), and thus missed out on the most prestigious continental ticket. According to Foot Africa, this is the first time since 2003 that the Cairo club has been absent from the Champions League.

For ASKO de Kara, the draw has a different significance. The club from the city of Kara, in northern Togo, will host and challenge two of the most decorated machines on the continent. It is these matchups—a modest league club facing the giants from Cairo and Casablanca—that make African cups so unique.

The four groups

Group A: Al Ahly (Egypt), Raja Club Athletic (Morocco), ASKO de Kara (Togo), Primeiro de Agosto (Angola). Group B: AS FAR (Morocco), Azam FC (Tanzania), Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya), Durban City (South Africa). Group C: AS Maniema Union (DR Congo), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Red Arrows (Zambia), and a fourth club yet to be determined. Group D: USM Alger (Algeria), CS Sfaxien (Tunisia), Black Bulls (Mozambique), AS Real Bamako (Mali).

The sixteenth spot was still vacant before the draw: CAF indicated that it was being contested between CR Belouizdad (Algeria), AS Douanes (Mauritania), and Hafia FC (Guinea). AS FAR secured their qualification on October 25, 2026, by beating CO Korhogo 2-1 after a goalless first leg, according to Bénin Web TV.

The schedule

The group stage will span six matchdays: November 27-29, 2026, December 4-6, December 18-20, January 8-10, 2027, January 15-17, and January 22-24, 2027. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

Eleven countries are represented in this competition alone, from the Maghreb to Southern Africa, passing through the Gulf of Guinea and East Africa. This is also what the Confederation Cup is: a continental championship where a Togolese club, a Mozambican club, and a Malian club cross paths with the institutions of African football.