Rangers, Enyimba and other Nigerian representatives in the 2024/2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Interclub competitions will know their pre-group stage opponents on Thursday, www.aclsports.com reports.
Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Rangers International will be joined in the Champions League draws by Remo Stars while former African champions Enyimba are in the Confederation Cup draws along with President Federation Cup champions El-Kanemi Warriors.
Thursday’s draw which will unveil each team’s route to the group phase of the two competitions will be held at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt starting from 3pm local time (1:00pm in Nigeria).
The draw of the Preliminary Stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup officially marks the start of what promises to be another exciting season of premium African club football.
For the Champions League, a total of 59 clubs will be engaged from 47 African countries, while the CAF Confederation Cup will have 52 clubs representing 41 countries.
The CAF Interclub men’s competitions remain two of the most sought-after club competitions in African club football, with both competitions continuing to grow from strength to strength, enjoying record global TV audiences thanks to the ever-growing standard of African football.
Five teams have been exempted from the preliminary round of the Champions League namely Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, Esperance du Tunis, TP Mazembe and Atletico Petroleos of Angola. Nigerian sides Rangers International and Remo Stars have been drawn in Pots 4 and 3 respectively.
In the Confederation Cup, Enyimba are among top twelve teams which have been exempted from the preliminary round and will face a team from the West African sub-region (including Cameroon) for a place in the group stage of the competition. Nigeria’s other representatives El-Kanemi Warriors have been placed in Pot 1.
Rangers International are returning to continental action after four years having featured in the group stage of the 2020 CAF Confederation Cup. Remo Stars on their own are competing in CAF continental competition for the third season in a row.
