2026–27 CAF Champions League Draw Date Confirmed

Rabat — African club football’s flagship competition now has a date to circle on the calendar. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to stage the preliminary draw for the 2026–27 CAF Champions League on August 6 in Cairo, Egypt, according to Moroccan outlet El Botola, citing an official source within CAF’s Club Competitions Committee.

The timing is deliberate. CAF plans to hold the ceremony only after the club registration system closes and all participating squads receive the green light from their respective national associations. No paperwork, no draw. Only once the entry list is locked will the continent’s contenders discover their first hurdles on the road to the group stage.

Behind the scenes, another key decision has already been made. El Botola reports that CAF has formally rejected a proposal from the Egyptian Football Association to increase the number of clubs allowed into its interclub competitions. The Competitions Committee chose stability over expansion, opting to keep the current tournament format intact for the 2026–27 season.

No extra places. No reshuffle. The existing structure stands.

For Morocco, the equation is clear. RS Berkane and Maghreb de Fès will carry the country’s hopes in next season’s CAF Champions League, stepping into the draw with ambitions that stretch far beyond the opening rounds. Both clubs will look at that preliminary pot not as a formality, but as the first step toward a serious run on the continental stage.

The draw in Cairo will sketch out those opening chapters: who travels where, who faces an early test, who gets a kinder path. From there, the long chase for Africa’s premier club crown begins.