New names, old giants to compete in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2026/27 season

A fresh TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup campaign gets underway this weekend and brings with it familiar giants, intriguing returnees and a new generation of clubs ready to discover continental football for the first time.

The first leg of the preliminary round will be staged this weekend, 04-06 September, with the return matches a week later. 

The 2026/27 edition will feature 17 clubs making their debut in the competition, stretching from Egypt to Seychelles and from Nigeria to Madagascar, while several established names are returning after lengthy absences.

Among them is the biggest name of all as record African champions Al Ahly are back in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for the first time in more than a decade.

At the other end of the spectrum are clubs such as ZED FC, Nations FC and Durban City, whose continental stories are only just beginning.

It makes for an intriguing mix as the road towards the group stage gets under way.

Egypt’s ZED FC are among the headline newcomers as they prepare for their first TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup campaign.

They will not be the only debutants with ambitions of making an immediate impression.

Nations FC will represent Ghana, Durban City FC fly the flag for South Africa and Shooting Stars return Nigeria’s famous Ibadan football tradition to the continental stage, albeit for their first appearance in this particular competition.

Ethiopia will be represented by Welwalo Adigrat, Benin by ASPAC FC, Chad by AS PSI and Côte d’Ivoire by CO Korhogo.

UDIB will make their Confederation Cup bow for Guinea-Bissau, while Vitesse FC enter from Burkina Faso and FC Diarra from Mali.

Niger’s AS ZAM, Namibia’s UNAM and Madagascar’s FC Rouge also join the competition for the first time.

The Indian Ocean will be well represented among the newcomers, with Atomic Ngomé of Comoros and Seychelles side PTL Bazar Brothers embarking on new continental adventures.

DR Congo’s DC Virunga complete a diverse group of debutants who will be looking to show that reputation counts for little once the first whistle blows.

The full list of 2026/27 debutants is: ZED FC (Egypt), Welwalo Adigrat (Ethiopia), ASPAC FC (Benin), AS PSI (Chad), CO Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire), UDIB (Guinea-Bissau), Shooting Stars (Nigeria), Vitesse FC (Burkina Faso), FC Diarra (Mali), Nations FC (Ghana), AS ZAM (Niger), UNAM (Namibia), FC Rouge (Madagascar), Durban City FC (South Africa), Atomic Ngomé (Comoros), DC Virunga (DR Congo), PTL Bazar Brothers (Seychelles).

For many, merely reaching continental competition represents an important milestone.

While 17 clubs begin a new chapter, one of African football’s most recognisable names is returning to the Confederation Cup after a lengthy absence.

Al Ahly last competed in the tournament in 2015. The Egyptian giants need little introduction on the continental stage, but their presence gives the 2026/27 Confederation Cup an added layer of intrigue.

They won the competition in 2014 and are now back after spending the intervening years competing predominantly in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

For the rest of the field, the arrival of one of African football’s most decorated clubs immediately raises the stakes.

But Al Ahly are far from the only side reconnecting with the competition. The longest Confederation Cup absence among the notable returnees belongs to Tunisia’s ES Zarzis.

Their previous appearance came all the way back in 2006, meaning they return to the competition after 20 years.

African club football has changed considerably in that period, from the competition format to the scale and profile of CAF interclub football.

For Zarzis, 2026/27 therefore has the feel of both a return and a fresh beginning.

Equatorial Guinea’s The Panthers FC have also had a lengthy wait. Their last Confederation Cup campaign came in 2014, giving them a 12-year absence from the tournament.