Kinshasa, September 18th, 2025 (CPA).- The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Thursday that the 2025-2026 season of its Champions League will kick off on Friday with 62 clubs, at the start of the preliminary round of the competition, according to information obtained by CPA from the website of the continental sports body. ‘The 2025/26 season of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League officially opens this Friday with the launching of the preliminary round. This edition marks a historic milestone with 62 clubs participating, a record that illustrates CAF’s on-going efforts to broaden participation and strengthen the competitiveness of African football,’ the website has reported.
The number of 62 clubs lined up at the start is indeed a record, compared to the 58 recorded in the 2024-2025 edition, an increase of four additional clubs, according to the source consulted on Thursday by CPA, in line with CAF’s objectives to further support clubs across the continent.
USD 100,000 to each club eliminated in the two preliminary rounds.
CAF has introduced a new financial measure whereby teams eliminated in the first two rounds of the preliminaries will each receive a grant of USD 100,000 to help cover their logistical costs and that this initiative aims to encourage broader representation and consolidate the foundations of interclub competitions. According to the CAF website, most of the first leg matches of the preliminary round will take place from September 19th to 21st, while the return matches will be played from September 26th to 28th, 2025.
Following the two-legged first round matches, the winning clubs will advance to the second round of the preliminary stage, scheduled October for 17th to 19th (first leg) and October 24th to 26th, 2025 (second leg). The group stage will begin on 21 November 2025, ahead of the quarter-finals, which will kick off on March 13th, 2026. Following the draw held in August in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the side-lines of the 8th edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2025, several match-ups have been decided, such as the one between RS Berkane, champions of Morocco, and ASC Kara of Togo. At the same time, Orlando Pirates of South Africa will face Lioli FC of Lesotho, while Power Dynamos of Zambia will take on Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast.
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