Shooting Stars, one of Nigeria’s representatives in the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup campaign, have been handed a tough tie in the first preliminary round, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Oluyole Warriors, who were returning to the continent for the first time in 27 years, were handed a date with three-time champions of the competition, CS Sfaxien of Tunisia. The first leg of the tie will be played in Nigeria before a trip to Tunisia to follow.
The winner of that contest will progress to face AF Amadou Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire) or East End Lions FC (Sierra Leone) for a place in the group stages of the competition.
2026 Federation Cup champions Elkanemi Warriors, Nigeria’s other representative in the competition, were drawn against UDIB (Guinea-Bissau) before a second-round date with Raja Casablanca (Morocco) for a place in the group stages.
In the Champions League, Nigerian champions Rangers International have been drawn against lowly rated SOBEMAP FC (Benin). The winner of the tie will go ahead to face ASN Nigelec (Niger) or MC Alger (Algeria) in the second round of the competition.
Rivers United, Nigeria’s highest-ranked team on the continent, have a date with FC San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire) in the first preliminary round. Should the Pride of Rivers emerge victorious, they will face the winner of the Vipers SC (Uganda) vs FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) match for a place in the money-spinning group stages of the competition.
The Preliminary Draw for both competitions was done at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday.
The First Preliminary Round opening legs will be played from September 4-6, with the return matches scheduled for September 11-13. The Second Preliminary Round will begin from October 16-18, before the decisive return legs are staged from October 23-25.
