Esperance reached the CAF Champions League group stage on Saturday, 24 October 2026 by beating Swehly SC 3–1 on penalties. CAF’s match report confirms a 1–0 home victory in the second leg, leaving the two-match aggregate level at 1–1.
How the aggregate became level
Esperance had lost the first leg 1–0 in Libya. Imad Faraj scored in the eighth minute of the return, according to CAF, and neither side added another goal. The opening-leg record and return-leg record explain why a win on the night did not, on its own, settle qualification: it cancelled out the earlier defeat rather than producing an aggregate lead.
Keep shootout scores separate
Esperance converted three penalties to Swehly’s one in the deciding shootout. The aggregate remains 1–1; shootout conversions are recorded separately. Adding them to the match goals to produce a 4–2 aggregate would be misleading, as would describing the return as a 3–1 win in normal play. The two figures describe different stages of the contest.
CAF characterises the result as a recovery after the first-leg defeat. The recorded sequence supports that interpretation: Esperance erased the deficit and then won the shootout. More detailed claims about control or chance quality would need additional evidence and cannot be established from penalty totals. Swehly’s exit despite winning the first match illustrates why the two legs must be read together.
The next stage
Esperance now move into the 2026/27 group phase, scheduled to begin in late November under CAF’s calendar. The qualification table keeps each match, the aggregate and the shootout separate. Group positions and points are not awarded before that phase begins and its groups are confirmed.
Cover: an original Hala Kora editorial illustration created for this report; it does not depict an actual match moment.