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.

All roads will lead to the Juba National Stadium this afternoon to witness El Merriekh SC Bentiu open their 2026/2027 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League campaign.

The South Sudan Premier League reigning champions will face Heegan FC (Somalia) in the first preliminary leg match.

El Merriekh SC Bentiu will be all out to make home advantage with the support of the loyal fans count.

Head coach Jean Claude Loboko, has made it clear that they are going all out to get a win. “We are always ready. I believe in my team and we are ready to give everything on the pitch,” says Loboko.

Team captain Pal Paul is also optimistic that the team will deliver. “We shall go and give our best. I know we have huge support from our fans, and we’ll fight for them,” added the captain.

The return leg will also be played in Juba on September 12th since Heegan FC do not have a Stadium cleared by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The winner between El Merriekh SC Bentiu and Heegan FC over two legs will move to the second preliminary round to face the winner between Kenya’s Gor Mahia FC and former champions Zamalek FC (Egypt).

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 4-6^th. The return fixture is set for September 11-13^th 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 16-18^th, while the return matches take place from the 23 to 25^th 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.