Rivers United Get Tricky Draw in CAF Champions League Group Stage
Former Nigeria Premier Football League champions Rivers United have been drawn in Group A of the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League alongside RS Berkane of Morocco, Pyramids FC of Egypt, and Power Dynamos of Zambia.
The draw, held on Monday at CAF’s Broadcast Partner SuperSport studios in Johannesburg, promises an exciting round of fixtures across the continent.
Rivers United, who last week became the first Nigerian club since Lobi Stars in 2018 to reach the group stage, secured their spot after a hard-fought 3–2 aggregate win over Black Bulls of Mozambique.
Group A is already being seen as one of the most competitive, featuring last season’s CAF Confederation Cup winners RS Berkane and reigning CAF Champions League champions Pyramids FC. The two sides recently met in the CAF Super Cup, where Pyramids claimed a narrow 1–0 victory.
Group A:
- RS Berkane (Morocco)
- Pyramids FC (Egypt)
- Rivers United (Nigeria)
- Power Dynamos (Zambia)
Elsewhere, record 12-time champions Al Ahly of Egypt headline Group B, where they will face Young Africans (Tanzania), AS FAR (Morocco), and JS Kabylie (Algeria).
In Group C, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa take on Al Hilal (Sudan), MC Alger (Algeria), and St Éloi Lupopo (DR Congo), while Group D pits Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia) against Simba SC (Tanzania), Petro de Luanda (Angola), and Stade Malien (Mali).
The group stage will begin between 21 and 23 November 2025, with two matchdays to be played before the AFCON 2025 break in Morocco. Matches will resume on the weekend of 23–25 January 2026, while the knockout rounds will start on 13 March 2026.
CAF has confirmed that the Champions League winners will earn USD 4 million, while the runners-up will receive USD 2 million — highlighting the high stakes in Africa’s premier club competition.
CAF Interclub Group Stage Match Days:
- MD1: 21–23 November
- MD2: 28–30 November
- MD3: 23–25 January
- MD4: 30 January–1 February
- MD5: 6–8 February
- MD6: 13–15 February
