Kenya’s representatives in the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup, Nairobi United, will know their group stage opponents today, when the draw for the competition’s round-robin phase is done in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup draw will be done from 2pm (Kenyan time), followed by the draw for the 2025/26 CAF Champions League group stages at 3pm.
The draw will feature 16 teams that advanced from the competition’s two qualifying rounds which were played in September and October.
The other teams in the draw are Al Masry (Egypt), AS Otoho (Congo-Brazzaville), Zama (Tanzania), CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Djoliba (Mali), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa), Maniema Union (DR Congo), Olympic Safi (Morocco), San Pedro (Cote d’Ivoire), Singida Black Stars (Tanzania), Stellenbosch (South Africa), USM Alger (Algeria), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Zamalek (Egypt), and Zesco United (Zambia).
Nairobi United, who will make their debut in the competition after becoming the first Kenyan club to qualify for the competition on their first attempt, earned their spot after eliminating NEC FC of Uganda in the First Round and booting two-time CAF Confederation Cup champions, Etoile Sportive du Sahel of Tunisia, in the Second Round.
The ‘Nai Bois’ prevailed over the Ugandans on the away goals after their encounter ended 3-3 on aggregate. The first leg, played in Uganda, ended 2-2. In the final qualifying round, Nairobi United, who are playing in the Kenyan top flight for the first time this season, overcame the 11-time Tunisian league champions 7-6 on penalties, after Etoile du Sahel defeated 2-0 on October 24 in Sousse, Tunisia, to level their tie 2-2 on aggregate.
Nairobi United, sponsored by the Johnson Sakaja Foundation and Hass Petroleum, will enter the draw as one of the six unranked teams. As such they will be in pot three, which will comprise the six unranked teams and the two lowest-ranked teams among the other 10 teams in the draw.
The five other unranked teams in pot three will be the Ivorians San Pedro, Olympic Safi of Morocco, the Tanzanian duo of Azam and Singida Stars, and Zambia’s Zesco United. Kaiser Chiefs (five points) and AS Otoho (two points), will also be in pot three.
Hence, Pot One will have the four seeded teams, which are all from North Africa: Zamalek (42 points), Wydad Casablanca (39 points), USM Alger (37 points), and CR Belouizdad (36 points).
Nairobi United's Frank Ouya plays the ball during their CAF Confederation Cup second round match against Tunisia's Étoile du Sahel in Tunis on October 26, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Pot Two is more diverse, consisting of teams from four different regions of Africa: southern Africans Stellenbosch (15 points), North Africans Al Masry (14 points), central Africans Maniema Union (five points), and West Africans Djoliba (five points).
The classification of teams in the draw is based on the CAF 5-year ranking, a rating method used by CAF to grade teams according to their performance in CAF competitions over a five-year period.
Clubs earn points based on six categories of performances achieved in each season they compete in CAF competitions over a five-year period – fourth in the group stages, third in the group stages, quarterfinals, semifinals, runners-up, and champions. Clubs in the CAF Champions League earn 1 – 6 points, with champions earning the highest number of points. Clubs in the CAF Confederation earn 0.5 – 5 points, with champions earning the highest number of points.
The points are then multiplied by a coefficient corresponding to the year of performance. The most recent year (the 2024-25 season) is assigned the highest coefficient, five points. The earliest season in the five-year period (the 2020-21 season) is assigned the lowest coefficient, one point. The points accumulated in each year are then summed up to give a team’s total for the five-year period.
It is for that reason – the CAF 5-year ranking – that despite having the same number of points as Djoliba and Maniema Union, Kaiser Chiefs finds itself in Pot Three. Their last appearance in CAF competitions was in 2021, giving their points a lower coefficient. The Congolese and the Malians competed in the CAF Champions League last season, attracting a ranking based on a higher coefficient.
According to the draw procedure, the 16 teams will be split into four groups of four teams. Each group will have one team each from pot one and pot two and any two from pot three.
As such, Nairobi United will have to brace for another trip to North Africa as they will be drawn against one of the four teams in pot one. With Al Masry in pot two and Olympic Safi in pot three, there is also a remote chance of Nairobi United finding themselves in a group comprising three North African teams.
While it may seem improbable to have three North African teams in one CAF Confederation Cup group, such has been witnessed in four of the last seven of the competitions. AS Otoho (2018-19), Zambia’s Zanaco (2021-22), ASKO Kara of Togo (2022-23), and Supersport United (2023/24) once found themselves in a CAF Confederation Cup with three North African teams.
For AS Otoho, in particular, all their away matches involved trips to Morocco after they were drawn against Hassania Agadir, Raja Casablanca, and RS Berkane.
After the draw, Nairobi United will play their group stage matches on November 23, November 30, January 25, February 1, February 8, and February 15.
