Champions Tusker FC, Ulinzi await CAF draw results

The 2016 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Tusker FC and Ulinzi Stars will learn their opponents for the opening rounds of the 2017 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup on Wednesday when the draw takes place in Cairo, Egypt.

Kenya is one of 35 countries with only one club eligible to play in the continent’s premier and second-tier club competition, while 12 other top football nations will have two representatives.

The winners of the CAF Champions League will walk away with KSh255.7m with runners-up collecting half as much in prize money. Semi-finalists will win USD875,000 while quarter-finalists will bag USD650,000 with third and fourth in the group stages taking home USD550,000.

Prize money for CAF Confederation Cup: Winners: USD1.25 million, runners-up: USD625,000, semi-finalists: USD450,000, quarter-finalists: USD350,000, third, fourth in groups: USD275,000

CAF Champions League clubs eligible to play:

2 entrants (top 12 countries on merit)

Algeria: JS Saoura and USM Alger, Cameroon: Coton Sport and UMS Loum, Congo Brazzaville: AC Leopards and Diables Noirs, Democratic Republic of Congo: TP Mazembe and V Club, Egypt: Al Ahly and Zamalek, Ivory Coast: Sewe Sport and AS Tanda, Mali: Real Bamako and Stade Malien, Morocco: FUS Rabat and Wydad Casablanca, Nigeria: Enugu Rangers and Rivers Utd, South Africa: Mamelodi Sundowns (holders) and Wits, Sudan: Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, Tunisia: Etoile Sahel and Esperance

1 entrant

Angola: Primeiro Agosto, Botswana: Township Rollers, Burkina Faso: Kadiogo, Burundi: Vital’O, Cape Verde: Mindelense, Central African Republic: Olympic Real Bangui, Chad: Gazelle, Comoros: Ngaya, Djibouti: Telecom, Equatorial Guinea: Sony Ela Nguema, Ethiopia: Saint George, Gabon: Mounana, Gambia: Ports Authority, Ghana: Wa All Stars, Guinea: Horoya, Kenya: Tusker, Lesotho: Lioli, Liberia: Barrack Young Controllers II, Libya: Al Ahly Tripoli, Madagascar: CNaPS Sport, Malawi: Bullets, Mauritania: Tevragh Zeine, Mauritius: Port Louis 2000, Mozambique: Ferroviario Beira, Namibia: United Africa Tigers, Niger: AS FAN, Reunion: Saint-Pierroise, Rwanda: APR, Senegal: Goree, Seychelles: Cote d’Or, Somalia: Benadir, Swaziland: Royal Leopard, Tanzania: Young Africans, Uganda: Kampala City Council Authority, Zambia: ZANACO, Zanzibar: Zimamoto, Zimbabwe: CAPS Utd

TBC (all 1 entrant)

Benin, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo

CAF Confederation Cup clubs eligible to play:

2 entrants (top 12 countries on merit)

Algeria: JS Kabylie and Mouloudia Alger, Cameroon: Apejes Academy and Young Sports Academy, Congo Brazzaville: CARA and Etoile, Democratic Republic of Congo: Renaissance and Sanga Balende, Egypt: Al Masry and Smouha, Ivory Coast: ASEC Mimosas and Sporting Gagnoa, Mali: Djoliba and Onze Createurs, Morocco: Ittihad Tanger and Moghreb Fes, Nigeria: Ifeanyi Ubah and Wikki Tourists, South Africa: Platinum Stars and SuperSport Utd, Sudan: Al Ahly Shendy and Al Hilal Al Obeid, Tunisia: Club Africain and CS Sfaxien

1 entrant

Angola: Recreativo Libolo, Botswana: Orapa Utd, Burkina Faso: Sonebel, Burundi: Le Messager Ngozi, Central African Republic: Anges Fatima, Comoros: Volcan, Djibouti: Dikhil, Equatorial Guinea: Racing Micomeseng, Ethiopia: Defence Force, Gabon: Akanda, Gambia: Brikama Utd, Ghana: Bechem Utd, Guinea: Kaloum, Kenya: Ulinzi Stars, Liberia: Monrovia Breweries, Libya: Al Hilal Benghazi, Madagascar: Saint-Michel Elgeco Plus, Malawi: Be Forward Wanderers, Mauritania: Concorde, Mauritius: Pamplemousses, Mozambique: Songo, Niger: Douanes, Rwanda: Rayon Sports, Senegal: Niarry Tally, Seychelles: Saint-Michel Utd, Sierra Leone: Johansen, Somalia: Jeenyo Utd, South Sudan: Al Salam Wau, Swaziland: Mbabane Swallows, Tanzania: Azam, Togo: Koroki Tchamba, Uganda: Vipers, Zambia: ZESCO Utd, Zimbabwe: Ngezi Platinum

TBC (all 1 entrant)

Benin, Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome e Principe, Zanzibar

Dates

Qualifying

Preliminary round

First legs: Feb 10-12, second legs: Feb 17-19

First round

First legs: Mar 10-12, second legs: Mar 17-19

Play-offs

First legs: Apr 7-9, second legs: Apr 14-16

Mini-leagues

Matchday 1: May 12-14, matchday 2: May 23-24, matchday 3: June 2-4, matchday 4: June 20-21, matchday 5: June 30-July 2, matchday 6: July 7-9

Quarter-finals

First legs: Sept 8-10, second legs: Sept 15-17

Semi-finals

First legs: Sept 29-Oct 1, second legs: Oct 13-15

Final

First leg: Nov 17-19, second leg: Nov 24-26

-Material sourced from AFP.