Nomads to know Champs League opponents onThursday

Top-flight league champions Mighty Wanderers will know their 2026/27 CAF Champions League first preliminary round opponents on Thursday. This follows an announcement by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that the draw for its inter-club tournaments will be held at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. A statement from the continental football governing body says the draw will start at 2pm.

“Both draws will be broadcast live on CAF TV, giving supporters across Africa and beyond the opportunity to follow the opening chapter of another exciting CAF inter-club season,” reads the statement. The winners of the Champions League will receive $6 million (about K1.05 billion) in prize money, according to the statement. “Clubs eliminated in the preliminary rounds will each receive a solidarity payment of $100 000 [about K175.1 million], as part of CAF’s continued investment in supporting participating teams and increasing engagement in its interclub competitions,” the statement further reads.

In an interview yesterday, Wanderers director for football development David Kanyenda said they are eagerly anticipating the draw. “There are no easy games at this level. With thorough preparation and commitment, we can spring a few surprises,” he said.

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On whether they have plans to beef up the squad ahead of the tournament, Kanyenda said: “We already beefed up our squad at the start of the season with five marquee signings of Alex Kambilinya, Peter Ng’ambi, Dalitso Nahipa,Lameck Mithi and Jacob Anyandwile. “We believe we have enough depth to compete in Africa.” Last year, the Nomads participated in the CAF Confederation Cup and bowed out at the first hurdle after going down 4-3 on post-match penalties to Botswana side Jwaneng Galaxy. This followed a one-all draw over two legs.

On the other hand, Silver Strikers participated in the CAF Champions League and were booted out in the second preliminary round by Tanzanian club Simba SC 2-1 on aggregate. South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, while USM Alger of Algeria lifted the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup last season.

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