The captain of El Merriekh SC Bentiu, Pal Paul Puok has made it clear that they are ready and determined to face Pyramids FC in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

El Merriekh SC Bentiu will hosts the Egyptian side in the first leg second preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on Friday at the Juba National Stadium.

Puok made it clear that Pyramids is a big team and facing them will be a great opportunity. “It is always good to face big teams like Pyramids, but we are not worried about them,” added the captain.

He called upon all South Sudan Football loving people to come in big numbers and support El Merriekh SC Bentiu. “We shall need all the support to be motivated as we face Pyramids FC,” added Puok.

Godfrey Oduor, the El Merriekh SC Bentiu assistant coach also made it clear that the team is well prepared for the encounter.

“We shall need a lot of support from the stands to motivate the players to perform well,” added Oduor.

The winner between El Merriekh SC Bentiu and Pyramids FC over two legs will advance to the group stage.

Egyptian Premier League side Pyramids FC have arrived in Juba ahead of a 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League tie.

South Sudan giants El Merriekh SC Bentiu will host Pyramids FC in the second preliminary round of the competition at the Juba National Stadium in Juba on Friday.

El Merriekh SC Bentiu eliminated Somalia’s Heegan FC 4-0 on aggregate in the first preliminary round, while Pyramids FC saw off Kenya’s Gor Mahia 7-1 on aggregate.

While El Merriekh SC Bentiu are making their second appearance in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, Pyramids FC lifted the trophy in the 2024/2025 edition beating Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) in the final.

Egyptian Premier League side Pyramids FC have qualified to face El Merriekh SC Bentiu in the second preliminary round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Pyramids FC brushed a side Kenya’s Gor Mahia 5-1 in the return leg played in Cairo on Sunday to sail through 7-1 on goal aggregate.

El Merriekh SC Bentiu advanced to the next stage on Saturday when they saw off Heegan FC (Somalia) 4-0 on goal aggregate.

The battle field is now set and El Merriekh SC Bentiu will host Pyramids FC in the first leg of  the second preliminary round between October 16-18^th in Juba, while the second leg will take place October 23–25.

Jean Claude Loboko, the El Merriekh SC Bentiu coach has made it clear that they will prepare well ahead of the match against Pyramids. “We are happy to qualify for the next stage, and we shall prepare well enough to face Pyramids,” added the coach.

The other teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) that qualified for the second preliminary round include; Young Africans SC, Simba SC (Tanzania), APR FC (Rwanda), El Merrikh, Al Hilal SC (Sudan), and Sidama Bunna (Ethiopia).