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CAF Confederation Cup 2025-26

2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup Overview – How South Africa’s Teams Stack Up

21 Nov, 2025

The 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup will be the 23rd edition of the tournament, featuring a total of 58 teams. Unlike most football competitions, this one started in mid-September 2025 with its qualifiers and will end on May 23, 2026. The winners will qualify for the 2025-26 CAF Champions League, which will be in the 2026 CAF Super Cup.

Even though this is Africa’s secondary club event (think of something like the Europa League), it still has several big names from across the continent. The list includes two clubs from South Africa, so let’s dive into everything and see what we can expect.

Format and Allocation of Teams

One of the first things you need to know about the CAF Confederation Cup is the format. For starters, each of the 54 member associations that are a part of CAF can take part in the event. With that said, only the 12 best associations based on CAF’s 5-year ranking system can have more than one club. The ranking itself encompasses the performance of each club across the seasons, including participation in the CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League.

Going back to the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup, this season will have 58 teams from 46 different associations. Since some organizations do not have a single team, others have more than one. One of those enters the tournament following a strong performance in the league. As for the other, it is usually via a domestic cup or a similar competition.

As for the associations that have only one team, the latter is the league’s champion or the runner-up (depending on the local regulations).

We won’t go over all the participants, but South Africa has two teams – Stellenbosch and Kaizer Chiefs. The latter became the 2024-25 Nerdbank Cup champions, whereas Stellenbosch secured 3rd place in the South African Premiership.

Schedule and Competition Stages

The 2025-25 CAF Confederation has two distinctive stages. The first one is the qualification round, and it began in September 2025 and ended on October 26, 2025. Starting from November 21, 2025, we have the main competition, and it will last until May 23, 2026. This is when we’ll see the Grand Final.

The draws for the Group Stage (the main competition) took place on November 3 in South Africa, and now we have all of them. Here is an overview of how the different groups look:

CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage Draw 2025-26

Group A – USM Alger, Djoliba, Olympic Safi, San Pedro
Group B – Wydad AC, Maniema Union, Azam, Nairobi United
Group C – CR Belouizdad, Stellenbosch, AS Otoho, Singida Black Stars
Group D – Zamalek, Al Masry, Kaizer Chiefs, ZESCO United

Each of the groups will play in a round-robin format. The matchdays are scheduled between November 2025 and January-February 2026. The quarter finals will take place in February, followed by the semifinals in April and the final in May.

The Most Notable Teams

Although this is technically a Tier 2 football event, it features many of Africa’s top football clubs. The event will likely be a popular betting option for many people, but not everyone has the expertise to identify which clubs stand out. That’s why we’ve decided to make a list of the football teams that deserve more attention.

Zamalek SC: The club from Egypt is definitely among the heavyweights here. It has solid experience and previous success, so it is one of the football clubs that deserve more attention.
Wydad AC: The Moroccan powerhouse is another key name that football fans should be careful with.
USM Alger: The Algerian pride is definitely worth your attention because it represents one of the top-ranked football associations in this competition.
Kaizer Chiefs: Lastly, we have the South African powerhouse Kaizer Chiefs. This is one of the country’s iconic clubs, boasting a strong domestic base and ambitious continental aspirations.

The Key Storyline to Follow

Similar to any other big football event, the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup has its interesting storylines that you may want to know. Perhaps the first one is related to the North African dominance because the clubs from these countries have performed better than the rest. The clubs here seem to have more experience than the rest and are usually considered among the favorites.

With that said, the favorites have to be careful because there is an emergence of new challengers. Nairobi United, for example, made an impressive campaign by securing a slot for the Group Stage following a penalty shootout. This is the team’s debut season and it has already made it among the best, so fans expect to see more of the squad.

Another thing to remember is that the winner receives more than just a trophy. The team will also get the chance to play in the Super Cup against Africa’s Champions League winner.

Expectations and Predictions

Considering the mix of clubs and formats, there are a few things that we expect to happen. First, as mentioned, we think that the clubs from North Africa will most likely dominate, especially in the later stages of the game. Having said that, the South African team, Kaizer Chiefs, is definitely one of the names that deserve more attention because it can disrupt everything.

We think that the Group Stage will be crucial because the seeding teams will mix with the heavyweights. A surprising early exit for some of the big names (which is always possible) will definitely make the 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup more interesting.

In terms of betting options, the majority of big bookmakers will provide at least a handful of different options. Places like South Africa will probably have more than the rest because they are known for their developed iGaming market and the presence of loads of iGaming sites. We would not be surprised if locals even have access to new bonuses and features.