CAF Inter-Club Football Opens with Goals, Away Wins and Early Surprises

The 2026/27 CAF inter-club season burst into life over the weekend as clubs across Africa battled for early advantages in the first preliminary round legs of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Played between September 4 and 6, the opening round produced a mixture of convincing victories, narrow away wins and tightly contested draws, setting up an intriguing second-leg programme later this week. The return legs are scheduled for September 11-13.

Champions League delivers early statements

The CAF Champions League produced some of the weekend’s biggest talking points, with several of Africa’s established clubs immediately showing their continental pedigree.

Egyptian giants Zamalek were among the first big winners, defeating AS Port of Djibouti 2-1 away from home. Mohamed Shehata and Chico Banza put the five-time African champions two goals ahead before AS Port pulled one back.

Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman also made an impressive start, beating Burundi’s Aigle Noir 2-0 away, while Gabon’s Mangasport defeated Namibia’s African Stars 3-1.

The weekend’s biggest statement, however, came from Pyramids FC, who defeated Kenyan champions Gor Mahia 2-0 at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium. W. El Karti and M. Saber scored to give the Egyptian side a commanding advantage before the return leg.

DR Congo giants TP Mazembe also showed their experience, leaving Ghana with a 1-0 victory over Medeama, while Tanzania’s Simba SC recorded the same scoreline away to Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers.

The round was not dominated entirely by away victories. There were several closely fought encounters, including Vipers’ 1-1 draw with Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou, Young Africans’ 1-1 draw away to Gaborone United and Rivers United’s 1-1 draw with FC San Pedro. Orlando Pirates were also held to a goalless draw by Mauritian debutants La Cure Waves.

The results underline how competitive the opening stage can be, with several ties still completely open going into the return fixtures.

Confederation Cup produces big scorelines

The CAF Confederation Cup provided even more emphatic results, with several clubs putting themselves in strong positions after the first legs.

Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars produced the most eye-catching result of the round, demolishing South Sudan’s Al Ghazala Wau 7-1 away from home.

Egypt’s ZED FC were also impressive, defeating ASAS Djibouti Telecom 4-0, while Libya’s Al-Ahli Tripoli won 3-0 away to Zanzibar’s KMKM.

Togo’s ASKO D’Kara registered another commanding victory, defeating AS ZAM of Niger 5-0, while Nigeria’s El Kanemi Warriors beat Guinea-Bissau’s Odeba 3-0. Primeiro de Agosto of Angola also won 2-0 away to Green Mamba.

Uganda’s Kitara FC joined the list of sides enjoying a successful opening weekend, recovering to defeat Somalia’s Mogadishu City 2-1 away. The result gives the Ugandan club a valuable advantage ahead of the return leg.

Not every tie produced a clear winner. Tusker of Kenya drew 2-2 with Sudan’s Al-Ahli Madani, while a number of other matches ended level, leaving everything to play for in the second legs.

One scheduled Confederation Cup fixture between DR Congo’s DC Virunga and Seychelles side BTL Bazar was not played after the visiting team declined to travel because of concerns over an Ebola outbreak.

Away victories dominate the opening weekend

One of the clearest trends from the first legs was the number of teams willing to attack on the road and return home with important advantages.

In the Champions League, Pyramids, TP Mazembe, Simba, Al Hilal and Petro de Luanda were among the teams to secure away victories.

The Confederation Cup produced an even stronger away-winning trend, with Singida Black Stars, Al-Ahli Tripoli, Kitara, Primeiro de Agosto and El Kanemi Warriors all returning home with victories.

These results could prove decisive because the winning teams now enter their home second legs with considerable momentum.

The second-leg battle begins

With the first legs completed, the focus now turns to the return fixtures, where the first set of clubs will attempt to complete their progression to the second preliminary round.

For teams that won away, the objective will be simple: protect the advantage and avoid allowing their opponents back into the tie. For clubs that lost at home, the challenge is much greater—they must overturn deficits on the road or produce major performances in their own stadiums.

The opening weekend has therefore provided a fascinating early picture of the 2026/27 African club season: established giants have made strong statements, emerging clubs have caused surprises, and several ties remain too close to call.

With the second legs coming over the weekend between September 11 and 13, the continent now waits to see which clubs will survive the first hurdle on the road towards the Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages.