CAF Champions League preliminary round draw. Who will Orlando Pirates face?
The road to Africa’s premier club trophy—the 2025/26 CAF Champions League—has begun. Saturday saw the draw for the first preliminary round, launching a month of intense battles for a coveted spot among the continent’s elite.
The draw, featuring big names, promising newcomers, and ambitious debutants, set up the opening fixtures of the tournament. Notably, two of the main favorites—Egypt’s Al Ahly and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns—are absent at this stage. As CAF ranking leaders, both clubs will enter the competition in the second preliminary round.
Special attention is on the clash between Orlando Pirates and Lesotho champions Lioli. For the "Pirates," this is a golden opportunity to kick off the new CAF Champions League season with authority and reaffirm their status as one of Southern Africa’s top contenders.
Let’s recall: the first round will be played over two legs, with matches scheduled from September 19 to 21 and from September 26 to 28, 2025. The winners will advance to the next round in mid-October—a crucial step toward the lucrative group stage.
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
