Nigeria’s representatives, Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors, have discovered their opponents for the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup following the official preliminary round draw held in Cairo, Egypt, Trybal News reports.
CAF conducted the draw with clubs seeded according to their continental rankings and recent performances. Eight of the competition’s highest-ranked teams received automatic byes into the second preliminary round, while the remaining 48 clubs were paired for two-legged first-round ties.
Shooting Stars have been handed one of the toughest fixtures of the opening round, where they will face Tunisian giants CS Sfaxien, three-time winners of the CAF Confederation Cup. Should the Oluyole Warriors progress, they will meet either Côte d’Ivoire’s AF Amadou Diallo or Sierra Leone’s East End Lions in the second preliminary round.
The Ibadan club secured qualification after finishing third in the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League season, marking their return to continental football for the first time in 27 years.
President Federation Cup winners El-Kanemi Warriors will begin their continental campaign against Guinea-Bissau’s UDIB in the first preliminary round. A victory over the two legs would set up a blockbuster second preliminary round clash against Moroccan heavyweights Raja Casablanca, who received a bye into the next stage.
The Maiduguri-based side qualified for the competition after lifting the 2026 President Federation Cup and will be aiming to build on their domestic success with a strong run in Africa.
The first-leg matches of the opening preliminary round are scheduled for September 4-6, with the return legs set to be played between September 11 and 13. The second preliminary round will take place in October, with the 16 winners advancing to the group stage of Africa’s second-tier club competition.
