Five coaches to watch as 2026/27 CAF Interclub Competitions get under way
The 2026/27 CAF Interclub Competitions will put some of Africa's leading coaches under immediate pressure as the continent's biggest clubs begin their pursuit of continental honours.
Rulani Mokwena faces the challenge of maintaining Pyramids FC's position among Africa's elite, Miguel Cardoso will attempt to build on his success with Mamelodi Sundowns, while Abdeslam Ouaddou takes an ambitious Orlando Pirates side back onto the continental stage.
Bubista begins a new chapter with Moroccan side RS Berkane after making history with Cape Verde at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while Hussein Ammouta has been handed the responsibility of restoring Al Ahly's continental authority.
The five coaches arrive at the new campaign with different challenges, but all will work under significant expectations at clubs targeting major success.
Here are five coaches to watch as the 2026/27 CAF Interclub Competitions get under way.
Rulani Mokwena – Pyramids FC
Rulani Mokwena has taken on one of the most demanding assignments in African club football after being appointed by Pyramids FC ahead of the new season.
The 39-year-old South African succeeded Krunoslav Jurcic, who guided the Egyptian club to CAF Champions League glory.
That means Mokwena is not taking over a team merely hoping to challenge for continental honours. He inherits a club accustomed to competing with Africa's best and will be expected to ensure their progress continues.
His experience within the Mamelodi Sundowns set-up means he is already familiar with the demands of top-level African club football.
The Pyramids job, however, provides him with another opportunity to demonstrate his ability to shape a successful team around his own ideas.
Mokwena's preference for possession-based, attacking football should make Pyramids one of the more intriguing sides to follow.
The greater challenge could be managing expectations.
Winning continental silverware is difficult enough, but sustaining success after a title-winning campaign brings its own pressures.
A strong run would reinforce Pyramids' emergence as a lasting force in African football and further enhance Mokwena's reputation.
Miguel Cardoso – Mamelodi Sundowns
Miguel Cardoso enters the new campaign with a different challenge at Mamelodi Sundowns – maintaining the high standards he has established with the South African giants.
The Portuguese coach guided Sundowns to CAF Champions League glory in 2025/26, adding another continental crown to the club's collection.
Success inevitably brings greater expectations.
Sundowns will begin the new campaign as one of the teams to beat, with opponents aware of the quality and experience within Cardoso's squad.
The Portuguese will therefore need to keep his players motivated while managing the physical demands of domestic and continental competition.
There will also be tactical challenges.
Teams facing Sundowns are increasingly likely to adopt more cautious approaches, forcing Cardoso's side to find different solutions against opponents primarily focused on denying them space.
How successfully he manages squad rotation, tactical adjustments and the expectations surrounding Sundowns could determine the extent of their challenge.
Another major continental campaign would strengthen Cardoso's standing and potentially establish the foundations of a lasting period of success.
Abdeslam Ouaddou – Orlando Pirates
Few coaches enter the continental campaign with more domestic momentum than Abdeslam Ouaddou.
The Moroccan led Orlando Pirates through a remarkable 2025/26 season, ending the club's long wait for the South African Premier League title and completing a historic treble.
He was subsequently named Coach of the Season.
Perhaps his biggest achievement was ending Mamelodi Sundowns' eight-season grip on the South African league championship.
Those successes have inevitably transformed expectations around Pirates.
The Buccaneers will now want to demonstrate that their domestic resurgence can translate into continental success.
The CAF Champions League provides Ouaddou with a different examination of his coaching credentials.
Continental football brings long-distance travel, contrasting playing conditions and opponents with vastly different tactical approaches.
Ouaddou must demonstrate that the methods that delivered success in South Africa can also work across the continent.
His outstanding first season has also created a difficult benchmark. A deep Champions League run would further strengthen the belief that Pirates are ready to re-establish themselves among Africa's leading clubs.
Bubista – RS Berkane
Bubista begins his first CAF Champions League campaign with RS Berkane after one of the most remarkable periods of his coaching career.
The Cape Verdean made history by guiding his country to their first FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026.
Cape Verde went even further in North America, reaching the Round of 32 before pushing eventual finalists Argentina all the way in a 3-2 extra-time defeat.
That campaign significantly enhanced Bubista's reputation, but club football now presents a very different challenge.
He left the Cape Verde national team to take charge of Moroccan giants RS Berkane on a two-year contract.
Berkane's recent continental performances mean expectations will be high.
They reached the CAF Champions League semi-finals last season and will therefore expect to be competing towards the latter stages again.
Bubista's ability to create a disciplined and competitive Cape Verde side was central to his success at international level.
The challenge now is transferring those qualities to the daily demands of club football, where coaches have considerably more time with their players but also face the constant pressure of results.
Another strong continental campaign could establish Bubista among the most highly regarded African coaches in the club game.
Hussein Ammouta – Al Ahly
Hussein Ammouta will arguably operate under the greatest scrutiny of the five after taking charge of Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
The Moroccan joined the club on a two-year contract in June 2026, succeeding Jess Thorup.
Al Ahly's history means expectations are rarely modest.
The Cairo giants are accustomed to competing for major honours, particularly in Africa, and Ammouta arrives following a disappointing continental campaign last season.
His immediate task will therefore be to restore the club's authority on the African stage.
The CAF Confederation Cup provides an opportunity to do that.
Al Ahly will be among the competition's most closely watched sides and expectations will be high that they challenge for the trophy.
Ammouta brings considerable knowledge of African football and a reputation for tactical organisation, but coaching Al Ahly involves pressures extending beyond tactics.
Results, performances and the ability to deliver in decisive matches will all come under scrutiny.
For Ammouta, the objective is clear: turn one of African football's most decorated clubs into a dominant continental force again.