CAF’s announcement dated 26 October confirms sixteen teams for the 2026/27 Champions League group stage and schedules the Cairo draw for 12:00 GMT on 28 October. No group allocation is supplied here ahead of the draw result.
Qualification and a new table
The organiser specifies four groups, with the top two in each advancing to the quarter-finals. Preliminary-round goals therefore do not become group-stage points. A two-leg aggregate and the next phase’s points total are different measures. Any new standings list requires confirmed group membership and actual results once play begins.
Confirmed clubs
Al Hilal Omdurman, Club Africain, Colombe, Espérance, Nouadhibou, Horoya, MAS de Fès, MC Alger, Orlando Pirates, Petro Atlético, Pyramids, RS Berkane, Simba, Wiliete, Young Africans and Zamalek. CAF’s original list.
What to verify after the draw
The next checks are group allocation, opponents and approved dates, followed by correct club identity links for every fixture. Shared names across countries make names alone insufficient. A possible pairing is not a confirmed fixture, and reaching the final sixteen does not establish a quarter-final place. This keeps completed qualification separate from the competitive phase that has yet to begin.
Archival cover photograph: Cairo Stadium during Egypt against Senegal, an archival image from the draw’s host city; not an image of the current event. Photographer/creator: Crosskimo. Image source and metadata; CC BY-SA 4.0. The Wikimedia-supplied thumbnail is used without further modification. Image date as recorded by the source: 2022-03-25 17:20:48.
