Rayon Sports, seen celebrating this year’s Super Cup title, faca a big hurdle if they are to reach the group stage of 2018 Total CAF Champions League
Rwandan continental representatives Rayon Sports Fc and APR Fc have been handed tricky encounters in the 2018 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup competitions.
The draw for the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup 2018 were respectively conducted on Wednesday at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
Champions League
Reigning champions Rayon Sports who will represent Rwanda at the Total CAF Champions League will open their bid against Burundian champions Lydia Ludic in the preliminary round slated for February 9-11, 2018 when the first leg will be played in Kigali before heading to Bujumbura for the return leg scheduled for February 20-21, 2018.
The winner of the preliminary round will take on South African and former champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the second round due in March, 2018. In last year’s Confederation Cup bid, Rayon Sports under former coach Masudi Djuma were eliminated by Nigeria’s Rivers United in the Confederations Cup’s play-off round to miss out on a spot in the lucrative group stage round.
Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca and 2017 CAF Confederation Champions TP Mazembe were exempt from the preliminary rounds of the tournament.
South African league champions Bidvest Wits will take part in the prelims and were drawn against Mauritania club Pamplemousses.
Fifty-nine (59) clubs were engaged for the Total CAF Champions League 2018 and eight federations did not engage their clubs namely Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Somalia.
Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca and 2017 CAF Confederation Champions TP Mazembe were exempt from the preliminary rounds of the tournament.
South African league champions Bidvest Wits will take part in the prelims and were drawn against Mauritania club Pamplemousses.
Confederations Cup
Peace Cup holders APR Fc start their campaign with Seychelles league club Anse reunion in the preliminary round due in the weekend of February 9-11, 2018.
The winner between APR Fc and Anse Reunion over the two legs will take on the winner between Mali 2 of Mali and Liberia’s Elwa United in the second round.
In last year’s Champions League campaign, the military side, APR Fc could not go past the preliminary round after losing 1-0 to Zambia’s seven-time league champions Zanaco Fc.
In the Confederation Cup draw, a total of fifty-four (54) clubs will participate in the Total CAF Confederation Cup 2018. Only eight federations did not engage their clubs namely Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Somalia.
SuperSport lost in a two legged final to TP Mazembe who will participate in the Champions League next year.
Other clubs who are exempt from the preliminaries include USM Alger, Zamalek, Raja Casablanca, Enyimba, DC Motema Pembe, Ahly Shandy, Hilal Obied, Club Africain and Nkana.
In a draw conducted in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, a total of fifty-four (54) clubs will participate in the Total CAF Confederation Cup 2018.
Only eight federations did not engage their clubs namely Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Somalia.
