Nigerian champions, Remo Stars, and Rivers United got favourable draws in their CAF Champions League first preliminary round draw, while Kwara United and Abia Warriors got tricky fixtures in the CAF Confederation Cup, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Preliminary Draw for both competitions was done at the Azam Media Studios in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday.
Remo Stars, who have never gone past the first round of any continental competition before, have a date against lowly rated US Zilimadjou (Comoros) in the first round of the Champions League, and should they emerge winners, they will face South African giants, Mamelodi Sundowns, for a place in the group stages.
Remo aside, Nigeria’s other representative in the elite competition, Rivers United, who were seeded in the draws due to their previous strong performances on the continent, were handed a tie against the highest-ranked representative from DR Congo before a date with either AC Leopards (Congo)/Black Bulls (Mozambique) in the second round for a place in the group stages.
In the Confederation Cup, Kwara United, winners of the 2025 President Federation Cup, will face Asante Kotoko (Ghana) in the first Preliminary round. Abia Warriors, who finished third in the Nigeria Premier Football League last season, have a date with seasoned campaigners Djoliba of Mali. Kwara United are going away first before a return leg in Nigeria, while Abia Warriors will host the first leg in Nigeria before a trip to Mali in the return fixture.
Should Kwara United beat the Ghana side in the first round, they will face Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca for a place in the group stages of the competition. Similarly, Abia Warriors will face the winner between USFA (Burkina Faso) and AS Gbohloe-su (Togo) for a place in the money-spinning group stages of the competition.
The CAF Inter Club Preliminary Round is scheduled to kick off on 19 September 2025, with the second legs happening the following week. The Second Preliminary Round starts on 17 October 2025, and the return legs a week later.
The Group Stage of both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup will begin on 21 November 2025, with the knockout phase set to commence on 13 March 2026.
