Nigeria’s four teams campaigning in the 2024/25 CAF Continental competitions have known their opponents in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and Confederation Cup on Thursday, www.aclsports.com reports.
In the draws conducted in Cairo, Egypt, current Nigiera Premier Football League champions Rangers will travel to Comoros to face US Zilimadjou and should they win over two legs, they will be facing the winner of the first round tie between St Louis (Namibia) and GDSE (Angola) in the second round for a place in the group stages.
Fidelis Ilechukwu’s side, who are playing on the continent for the first time since 2020, will be on the road for the first leg of the first-round encounter, while the first leg of the second-round fixture will be played in Nigeria if they manage to progress.
Nigeria’s other representative in the CAF Champions League, Remo Stars, have been drawn against familiar foe ASFAR of Morocco. The two teams met in the Confederation Cup two years ago which the Moroccans won 2-1 on aggregate. Meanwhile, the two teams will be meeting in the top-flight club competition this time, with the first leg to be played in Ikenne and the reverse fixture in Morocco a week later.
In the Confederation Cup, Enyimba are among the top twelve teams that have been exempted from the preliminary round. However, the former African champions will face the winner of the tie between Hafia (Guinea) and Rahimo (Burkina Faso) for a place in the group stages in the second round. The first leg of that tie will be played away from home before the concluding leg in Aba a week later.
Federation Cup champions Elkanemi Warriors, who are also returning to the continent for the first time in decades, will face Dadje FC (Benin) in the first preliminary round. The first leg has been scheduled to be played in Nigeria. Should the Warriors progress, they will face 2022 Confederation Cup champions RS Berkane for a place in the group stages.
All first-round fixtures of both competitions will be played in August 2024 – first legs (August 16-18) and second legs (August 23-25), while the second-round ties will be decided in September 2024 – first legs (September 13-15) and second legs (September 20-22).
