Izuchukwu OkosiThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday officially announced that the 2025/26 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup competitions will commence in September.
The shift in the calendar is due to the scheduling of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which is set to take place in August.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelCAF has outlined the following schedule for the interclub tournaments:
Preliminary Rounds
First Preliminary Round:
First leg: September 19–21, 2025
Second leg: September 26–28, 2025
Second Preliminary Round:
First leg: October 17–19, 2025
Second leg: October 24–26, 2025
Group Stage Matches
Matchday 1: November 21–23, 2025
Matchday 2: November 28–30, 2025
Matchday 3: January 23–25, 2026
Matchday 4: January 30–February 1, 2026
Matchday 5: February 6–8, 2026
Matchday 6: February 13–15, 2026
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Knockout Phase
Quarter-finals:
First leg: March 13–15, 2026
Second leg: March 20–22, 2026
Semi-finals:
First leg: April 10–12, 2026
Second leg: April 17–19, 2026
Final: Scheduled to be played between May 8 and 24, 2026
Player Registration Periods
CAF also confirmed the registration windows for participating clubs:
Preliminary Round Registration: August 1–31, 2025
Second Preliminary Round Registration: September 1–30, 2025
Group Stage Registration: October 1–31, 2025
Knockout Stage Registration: January 1–31, 2026
These dates are intended to streamline preparations and ensure a smooth competition amid a packed football calendar.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
