CAF Unveils 2025/26 Champions League Group Stage Draw: Tough Battles Ahead for African Giants
Written by Alonge Akinlolu on 3 — 11
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially released the group stage draw for the 2025/26 CAF Champions League, setting up a mouthwatering series of continental clashes among Africa’s finest clubs.
Group A promises fireworks as Nigerian champions Rivers United will have to navigate a tricky pool featuring Moroccan powerhouse RS Berkane, Egyptian big spenders Pyramids FC, and Zambia’s Power Dynamos. It’s a group that mixes experience, ambition, and raw unpredictability, one where any slip could prove costly.
In Group B, record holders Al Ahly FC headline a star-studded lineup that includes Tanzania’s Young Africans, Moroccan soldiers ASFAR, and Algeria’s resilient JS Kabylie. With both North and East African footballing cultures clashing, this group could easily become the “Group of Death.”
South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns find themselves in Group C, facing Sudan’s Al Hilal SC, Algerian side MC Alger, and Congo DR’s FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo. Sundowns will be looking to stamp their dominance early, but the group’s balance makes every away trip a potential trap.
Group D pits Tunisian giants ES Tunis against Tanzania’s Simba SC, Angola’s Atlético Petróleos, and Mali’s Stade Malien. On paper, it looks evenly matched — though experience in North Africa could once again make the difference.
