The 16 clubs, their records and key statistics ahead of 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League Group Stage draw
The stage is set for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 Group Stage Draw, with 16 clubs from across Africa preparing to discover their opponents in Cairo on Wednesday, 28 October.
The draw, scheduled for 15h00 Cairo time (12h00 GMT) at the Egyptian Football Association Headquarters, will bring together former continental champions, established contenders and ambitious newcomers seeking to make their mark on Africa's premier club competition.
Among the biggest stories of this season's qualification campaign is the elimination of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns by Angola's Wiliete SC, who will make their Group Stage debut.
Four-time winners Espérance, five-time champions Zamalek and former winners MC Alger are among the traditional powerhouses returning to the competition, while Tanzania will have two representatives in Simba SC and Young Africans.
The 16 clubs will be divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarter-finals when the competition resumes in November.
Ahead of the draw, we examine the records, achievements and significant statistics of all 16 participating clubs, highlighting the history and ambitions they bring to the new campaign.
Al Hilal Omdurman – Sudan
Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman return to the Group Stage for the eighth consecutive season, extending one of the competition's longest current runs of appearances.
The two-time African finalists, who reached the title decider in 1987 and 1992, will be making their 15th overall appearance in the Group Stage.
Al Hilal reached the quarter-finals last season and will be hoping to build on that performance as they continue their pursuit of a continental crown.
Their qualification campaign included victories over Burundi's Aigle Noir and Ethiopia's Sidama Bunna, with the Sudanese side progressing without conceding a goal in either qualifying tie.
Club Africain – Tunisia
Club Africain return to the Group Stage for the first time since the 2018/19 season, having eliminated five-time African champions TP Mazembe of DR Congo 2-1 on aggregate.
The Tunisian club made history in 1991 when they became the first team from their country to win Africa's premier club competition.
This will be their third Group Stage appearance in the modern Champions League era, having featured in the inaugural edition in 1997.
Despite their continental pedigree, Club Africain have yet to progress beyond the Group Stage in the current competition format.
They enter Wednesday's draw following a successful domestic campaign in which they ended an 11-year wait for the Tunisian league title, claiming their first championship since 2014/15.
Colombe Sportive – Cameroon
Cameroonian champions Colombe Sportive will make their Group Stage debut, becoming only the third club from Cameroon to feature at this stage of the modern competition, after Canon Yaoundé and Coton Sport.
It is a significant milestone for a club making only its second appearance in Africa's premier interclub tournament.
Colombe have established themselves as a rising force domestically, winning consecutive Cameroonian league titles in 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Their route to the Group Stage included a penalty shootout victory over Mali's Stade Malien in the First Preliminary Round, followed by a convincing 3-0 aggregate success against Senegal's Teungueth FC.
The achievement offers Cameroon an opportunity to re-establish its presence among the continent's leading clubs.
Espérance Sportive de Tunis – Tunisia
Few clubs taking part in Wednesday's draw can match the continental experience of Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
The Tunisian giants are four-time African champions and have appeared in nine continental finals, making them one of the most successful clubs in the competition's history.
Espérance won the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1994 before lifting the Champions League trophy in 2011, 2018 and 2018/19.
They will be making their 25th Group Stage appearance and their 11th in succession, having progressed beyond the groups in each of their previous 10 campaigns.
The four-time winners also reached the final in 2023/24.
Their latest qualification was far from straightforward, however, as they required a penalty shootout to overcome Libya's Swehly SC following a 1-1 aggregate draw.
FC Nouadhibou – Mauritania
FC Nouadhibou will make their second Group Stage appearance, having previously reached this phase in the 2023/24 season.
The club remain Mauritania's only representatives to have featured in the modern Champions League Group Stage, underlining their importance to the country's continental ambitions.
Their qualification was secured through an impressive comeback against Côte d'Ivoire's FC San Pedro.
After losing the first leg 2-1, Nouadhibou produced a 2-0 home victory to advance 3-2 on aggregate. They had earlier eliminated Uganda's Vipers SC on penalties.
The 14-time Mauritanian champions will now seek to improve on their previous Group Stage campaign, including securing their first away victory at this level.
Horoya AC – Guinea
Guinea's Horoya AC return to the Group Stage for the first time since 2021/22, bringing an end to their absence from this phase of the competition.
The Guinean club will be making their fifth Group Stage appearance, having previously reached the quarter-finals in 2018 and 2018/19.
Whether that sequence continues will be one of the interesting details to emerge from Wednesday's draw.
Horoya secured qualification after a tense encounter with Sudan's Al Merriekh, winning on penalties following a 1-1 aggregate draw in the final qualifying round.
MAS de Fès – Morocco
MAS de Fès will make their first appearance in the modern CAF Champions League Group Stage, adding another Moroccan representative to the competition's history.
The club become the seventh Moroccan side to reach this phase, having previously appeared in the old African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1984 and 1986.
Their return to continental prominence follows a domestic campaign in which they claimed their first Moroccan league title since 1985.
MAS secured their Group Stage place with a dramatic victory over Côte d'Ivoire's ASEC Mimosas.
After being held to a 1-1 draw at home, the Moroccan champions secured a 2-1 away victory in Abidjan to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Their qualification represents another milestone in the club's resurgence.
MC Alger – Algeria
MC Alger return to the Group Stage with history firmly in focus as the club approaches the 50th anniversary of its greatest continental triumph.
The Algerian giants won the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1976, defeating Guinea's Hafia FC in the final, and remain determined to add another African title to their record.
This will be MC Alger's sixth appearance in the modern competition's Group Stage.
They reached the quarter-finals in 2024/25 but were eliminated in the Group Stage last season.
Their qualification this time required one of the most remarkable recoveries of the preliminary rounds.
After losing 2-0 away to Nigeria's Rangers International, MC Alger scored three unanswered goals in the return encounter in Algiers to progress 3-2 on aggregate.
Orlando Pirates – South Africa
Orlando Pirates will carry South Africa's hopes into the Group Stage following the surprise elimination of defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Soweto giants, crowned African champions in 1995, also reached the Champions League final in 2013.
They will be making their sixth Group Stage appearance and their first since the 2024/25 season.
Pirates return to continental competition as South African league champions, having claimed their first domestic title since 2011/12 in the previous campaign.
Their qualification route included victories against opponents from Mauritius and Namibia, with the South African club winning three of their four preliminary-round matches.
They completed the final qualifying tie with a commanding 5-0 aggregate victory over Namibia's African Stars.
Petro Atlético – Angola
Petro Atlético will make their eighth Group Stage appearance, extending their record as Angola's most frequent participants at this stage of the competition.
The club have previously reached the semi-finals in 2001 and 2021/22 and will be seeking another deep run.
This season is particularly significant for Angolan football, with Petro and Wiliete SC giving the country two representatives in the Group Stage.
It is only the second time Angola has achieved that distinction, following the 2021/22 campaign when Petro and Sagrada Esperança both qualified.
Petro secured their latest appearance after a dramatic comeback against Zimbabwe's Scottland FC, overturning a 2-0 first-leg defeat with a 3-0 home victory to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
Pyramids FC – Egypt
Pyramids FC enter the draw as one of the competition's most rapidly emerging powers, having won the CAF Champions League title in 2024/25 during only their second Group Stage campaign.
The Egyptian club will now be making their fourth consecutive appearance at this stage.
Their continental triumph made them the fourth Egyptian club to win the competition, and the third in the modern Champions League era.
Pyramids have established an impressive record in recent seasons, winning silverware in each of the past three campaigns, including the 2025 CAF Super Cup.
They have also developed a formidable home record in continental competition, losing only twice at home in the Champions League across all rounds.
During their 2024/25 title-winning campaign, Pyramids won all eight home matches.
The Egyptian side arrive at Wednesday's draw having won their opening 12 competitive matches of the season, a run that further underlines their ambition to challenge for another African crown.
RS Berkane – Morocco
RS Berkane have rapidly established themselves among Africa's most competitive clubs, with their recent continental achievements highlighting their transformation into a major force.
The Moroccan side reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2025/26, losing 2-1 on aggregate to domestic rivals AS FAR after an impressive campaign.
They return to the Group Stage for another opportunity to challenge for the continent's biggest club prize.
Berkane have already enjoyed considerable success in the CAF Confederation Cup, winning the competition three times in 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2024/25.
They also lifted the CAF Super Cup in 2025.
Their passage into this season's Group Stage was secured with a comfortable 3-0 aggregate victory over Sierra Leone's Star Sport Academy.
Simba SC – Tanzania
Simba SC will be making their seventh Champions League Group Stage appearance, more than any other Tanzanian club.
The Dar es Salaam giants have a long history in continental football, having become the first Tanzanian team to reach a CAF interclub final when they finished runners-up in the CAF Cup in 1993.
More recently, Simba reached the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup final, again finishing as runners-up.
Their best performances in the modern Champions League have come through four quarter-final appearances in 2018/19, 2020/21, 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Simba were among the most convincing qualifiers for Wednesday's draw, overwhelming Equatorial Guinea's 15 de Agosto 9-1 on aggregate.
That emphatic victory underlined their attacking quality as they seek to progress beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in the modern competition.
Wiliete SC – Angola
Wiliete SC will be one of the most closely watched clubs when the draw takes place after producing the biggest upset of the qualifying rounds.
The Angolan side eliminated defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, holding the South African giants to a 1-1 draw in Pretoria after a goalless first leg in Angola.
Wiliete progressed on the away goals rule, bringing Sundowns' title defence to an unexpectedly early end.
The achievement is particularly remarkable for a club making only its second appearance in the Champions League.
Wiliete were eliminated in the opening qualifying round by Tanzania's Young Africans last season but have now secured their first Group Stage appearance.
They remain unbeaten in the competition this season, having recorded two victories and two draws, with three clean sheets.
Young Africans – Tanzania
Young Africans will make their fifth Champions League Group Stage appearance, continuing a sustained period of continental progress.
The Tanzanian champions were the first club from their country to reach the Group Stage in 1998 and will now feature at this level for the fourth successive season.
They reached the quarter-finals in 2024/25, while their run to the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup final remains another major achievement in the club's continental history.
Young Africans booked their latest Group Stage place in emphatic fashion, defeating Madagascar's CFFA 8-1 on aggregate.
Their convincing qualification ensures Tanzania will once again have two representatives in the competition alongside domestic rivals Simba SC.
Zamalek SC – Egypt
Five-time African champions Zamalek return to the Champions League Group Stage after a three-season absence, with the Egyptian giants hoping to recapture the continental success that made them one of Africa's most decorated clubs.
Zamalek won the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1984, 1986, 1993 and 1996 before securing their fifth title in the modern Champions League era in 2002.
That most recent triumph came through a 1-0 aggregate victory over Morocco's Raja Casablanca in the final.
The Cairo club have won 13 CAF titles across continental competitions, including the CAF Super Cup.
Zamalek will be making their 14th Champions League Group Stage appearance, the second-highest total among Egyptian clubs behind Al Ahly.
They return for the first time since 2022/23 after winning all four matches in this season's preliminary rounds.
Their qualification offers another opportunity to end a long wait for a sixth African crown.