Gor Mahia, Kenya Police to find out opponents for CAF Interclub assignment on Thursday

23/24 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League champions Gor Mahia and the 23/24 FKF Cup winners Kenya Police will on Thursday find out who they will face in the first preliminary round of the 24/25 CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

This is after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that they will conduct the Draw of the Preliminary Stages of the 2024/25 Interclub season at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt on 11 July.

Gor Mahia earned the ticket to represent Kenya in the continental Champions League after lifting the Kenyan league title for a record-extending 21st time.

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Salim Babu’s Police on the other hand earned the ticket to their very first continental duty after seeing off KCB in the FKF Cup final.

For the CAF Champions League, a total of 59 clubs will be engaged from 47 African countries, while the CAF Confederation Cup will have 52 clubs representing 41 countries.

The CAF Interclub men’s competitions remain two of the most sought-after club competitions in African club football, with both competitions continuing to grow from strength to strength, enjoying record global TV audiences thanks to the ever-growing standard of African football.

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In the previous season, reigning champions Al Ahly SC lifted the CAF Champions League titles for a record-extending twelfth time while their arch-rivals Zamalek were crowned champions of the CAF Confederation Cup for the second time.

CAF Champions League draw procedure

CAF received the official engagement of 59 clubs.

• Accordingly, the 5 highest ranked clubs in the official clubs ranking shall be exempted of the 1st preliminary round – Al Ahly (Egypt), ES Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Petro Athletico (Angola), TP Mazembe (DR Congo).

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• The remaining 54 clubs shall play as of the 1st preliminary round and consist of highest ranked clubs (4), lowest ranked clubs (14) and non-ranked clubs (36) according to the official clubs ranking.

• 5 pots have been created for the 36 non-ranked clubs and the 14 lowest ranked clubs taking into account their geographical proximity. Gor Mahia are in Pot 1.

• The exempted teams and the highest-ranked teams are distributed geographically in the fixtures.

CAF Confederation Cup

CAF received the official engagement of 52 clubs.

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• Accordingly, the 12 highest-ranked clubs in the official clubs ranking shall be exempted of the 1st preliminary round. They include RS Berkane (Morocco), Asec Mimosas (Ivory Coast), Stade Malien (Mali), Enyimba FC (Nigeria), Zamalek (Egypt), USM Alger (Algeria), Simba (Tanzania), El Masry (Egypt), CS Sfaxien (Tunisia), AS Vita (DR Congo), Sekhukhune United (South Africa), FC Lupopo (DR Congo)

• The remaining 40 clubs shall play as of the 1st preliminary round and consist of ranked clubs (3) and

non-ranked clubs (37) according to the official clubs ranking.

• 3 pots of the 37 non-ranked teams have been created considering their geographical proximity. Kenya Police are in Pot 2.

• The exempted teams and the ranked teams are distributed geographically in the fixtures.\

Key dates for the 24/25 CAF competitions

Preliminary Round: 16-18 August 2024
Group Stage: October- December 2024
Knockout Phase: March-May 2025:
Final: May 2025

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