CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
El Merriekh SC Bentiu to face Somalia’s Heegan SC in 2026/2027 CAF Champions League
South Sudan champions El Merriekh SC Bentiu will face Heegan SC in the first preliminary round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
In the draw conducted on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, the Somalian side will play the first leg away in Juba between September 4-6th. The return fixture is set for September 11-13th at a venue yet to be announced.
The winner between El Merriekh SC Bentiu will move to the second preliminary round to face the winner between Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC and former champions Zamalek FC (Egypt).
The second preliminary round follows a similar pattern with first legs matches to be played October 16-18th, while the return matches take place from the 23 to 25th of the same month.
CAF has confirmed that the eventual Champions League winner will pocket a cash prize of US$6 million, while all teams knocked out during the preliminary rounds take US$100,000.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu will be making it’s second appearance in the CAF Champions League after failing to make it to the group stage in the 2024/2025 edition.
Meanwhile, El Merriekh SC Bentiu defeated Uganda’s Royal Galaxy FC 2-1 in another International friendly match played at the Nsambya YES Center in Kampala, Uganda.
South Sudan giants El Merriekh SC Bentiu will know their opponents in the preliminary round of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League on August 6th.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the draw will take place on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw will take place immediately after the club registration system closes and national associations approve all participating teams’ final squads.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu will be among the teams that will be drawn in the first preliminary round of the competition.
The campaign will kick off in the first preliminary round, with the first-leg matches slated for September 4-6, 2026. Return legs will be played September 11-13.
Second preliminary round are scheduled for October 16-18, 2026, with the decisive return fixtures set for October 23-25.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu under new coach Jean Claude Loboko are having a pre-season camp in the Ugandan capital Kampala where they have already played and won two friendly matches.
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
African Football body announce dates for 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League
Action in the preliminary round of the 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League will kick off in September.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced dates for the start first Preliminary round matches on September 4-6th (first leg), while the return legs are played September 11-13th.
The Second preliminary round matches will take place October 16-18th (first round) and the return matches to be played October 23-25th.
El Merriekh SC Bentiu who will represent South Sudan will start their campaign in the first round preliminary round.
Group stages are scheduled to be played between November 2026 and January 2027, and the quarterfinals to be played between February 26th and March 7th, 2027.
The semi-finals will be played between April 9-18th, while the finals between May 9-31st, 2027.
Prize money of USD 6 million will be up for grabs for the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League winners.
CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
End of the road for EL Merriekh SC Bentiu in TotalEnergies CAF Champions League
EL Merriekh Bentiu’s journey in the 2024/2025 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League came to a sudden end on Sunday.
After winning the first leg 1-0, the South Sudan champions suffered a 5-1 defeat to Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC to fall out on a 5-2 goal aggregate.
Samuel Akinbinu gave EL Merriekh the lead, but Gor Mahia leveled matters through Chris Ochieng. The home side scored two more goals through Alpha Onyango and Alphonce Omija to take a 3-1 lead at half time.
In the second half, EL Merriekh Bentiu in search of more goals, but the home side scored two more goals through Rooney Onyango. The South Sudan giants missed the opportunity to face African giants Al Ahly in the 2nd preliminary round of the tournament.
EL Merriekh Bentiu who also played in the Dar Port Kagame Cup 2024 in Tanzania two months ago will now return to plan for the local season.
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