Kaizer Chiefs, Raja and CS Sfaxien Face Tricky Return Ties

According to a report by BBC Sports on Thursday, October 22, 2026, several prominent African clubs, including South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs, Morocco’s Raja Club Athletic and Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien, are preparing for challenging return-leg encounters as the race for places in the 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup group stage reaches a decisive stage.

The second preliminary round matches will take place across the continent this weekend, with 14 return fixtures scheduled. While some teams have built promising advantages from their first-leg performances, others must deliver strong results to avoid an early exit from the competition.

Kaizer Chiefs will be among the teams attracting attention on Friday as they prepare to face Zambia’s Red Arrows. The South African side suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg and must overturn the deficit to keep their continental ambitions alive. Red Arrows, meanwhile, will aim to protect their advantage and secure qualification for the group stage.

Raja Club Athletic also face an important test when they welcome Nigeria’s El Kanemi Warriors to Casablanca on Friday. The first meeting between both sides ended in a 2-2 draw after the Nigerian club fought back to earn a valuable result. The Moroccan giants, who have won the CAF Confederation Cup twice, will now look to use home advantage to secure their place in the next round.

Another difficult assignment awaits Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien, three-time winners of the competition. They will host Côte d’Ivoire’s Académie de Football Amadou Diallo after both teams played out a 1-1 draw in Abidjan. The result leaves the tie delicately balanced, meaning either side could progress with a strong performance in the return encounter.

Morocco’s AS FAR are also facing an uncertain contest ahead of their home meeting with CO Korhogo on Sunday. Neither team managed to score in the first leg in Côte d’Ivoire, leaving everything to be decided in the return match.

Egyptian club ZED FC must travel to Tanzania to face Azam FC after the two sides drew 1-1 in their opening encounter. Their compatriots, Al Ahly, are in a better position ahead of Sunday’s clash against Uganda’s Kitara FC. Al Ahly secured a 2-1 victory in the first leg and will attempt to complete the job in front of their home supporters.

Several other clubs have established significant advantages and will be hoping to finish the task this weekend. Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli recorded an impressive 4-0 away victory, placing them in a commanding position ahead of their return fixture against Ethiopia’s Welwalo Adigrat.

DR Congo’s AS Maniema Union also enjoyed an excellent first-leg performance, defeating Angola’s Kabuscorp 4-1 away from home. The Congolese side will now seek to confirm its progress when the teams meet again on Sunday.

Mozambique’s Black Bulls have also strengthened their chances of reaching the group stage after beating Rwanda’s Rayon Sports 2-0 away. Meanwhile, Mali’s AS Real Bamako defeated Tunisia’s ES Zarzis 3-1 and will look to maintain their advantage in Saturday’s encounter.

Algeria’s USM Alger have already secured qualification for the group stage after Equatorial Guinea’s Panthers FC withdrew from the competition. However, the remaining fixture between Algeria’s CR Belouizdad and Mauritania’s AS Douanes is still outstanding, with details yet to be confirmed.

Other teams will also be battling to secure their places in the next phase, with the return fixtures scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The matches will test the teams’ ability to manage pressure, protect first-leg advantages and produce decisive performances when qualification is at stake.

The successful clubs will join USM Alger in the 16-team group stage of the 2026/27 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup. With continental ambitions on the line, the weekend’s matches are expected to deliver intense competition as teams fight to remain in contention for one of Africa’s major club football honours.

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