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).

The head coach of El Merriekh SC Bentiu has called on all fans to come in big numbers to support the team when they face Heegan FC in the second leg of the CAF Champions League.

After winning the first leg 1-0, the South Sudan Premier League champions will be all out to finish the job in the second leg on Saturday at the Juba National Stadium.

“ Come cheer, motivate the team to get a big win,” said coach Jean Claude Loboko.

He made it clear that the support of the fans will play an important role to see the team get positive results. “We have trained hard and we are ready to put up a good display to get a good result,” added the coach.

In-case El Merriekh SC Bentiu make it past this stage, they will face winner between Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC and former champions Pyramids FC (Egypt) in the second preliminary round.

El Merriekh SC Bentiu have defeated Heegan FC 1-0 in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Toat Maet Doh netted the only goal after 14 minutes to give the South Sudan Premier League reigning champions the lead at the Juba National Stadium on Saturday.

The home side continued to attack in numbers, but the Somali Premier League side defended in numbers.

Jean Claude Loboko, the El Merriekh SC Bentiu head coach said his team missed several scoring chances. “We need to work on our finishing and prepare for the return leg to take place next weekend,” added the coach.