Pirates’ CAF rankings tell a story of a mountain to climb before group stage draw

Orlando Pirates face a tough task in the CAF Champions League after their club rankings left them in pot three ahead of Wednesday’s group stage draw. The Buccaneers return to Africa’s top club competition as South Africa’s only remaining side after Mamelodi Sundowns suffered an early exit.

Abdeslam Ouaddou’s team secured their place with a convincing 5-0 aggregate victory over Namibia’s African Stars. They won the first leg 1-0 away and then thrashed the visitors 4-0 at Orlando Stadium. Goals from Thapelo Mokobodi, Evidence Makgopa (twice) and Mpho Padime sealed the win and booked their seventh group stage appearance since the current format began.

However, their position on CAF’s five-year club ranking has created a difficult path. The rankings, based purely on continental results over recent seasons, place Pirates 15th among the teams that reached this stage. As a result, they sit 10th out of the 16 clubs still active in the competition and will be drawn from pot three.

Esperance of Tunisia occupy the top seed, with RS Berkane, Pyramids and Zamalek also in pot one. Pot two contains Al Hilal, Simba, Young Africans and Petro de Luanda. MC Alger lead pot three, with Pirates, Noaudhibou and Horoya following. The remaining sides fill pot four.

This seeding means the Soweto giants are almost certain to face at least one strong North African side from pot one. They could also travel to Sudan, Tanzania or Angola from pot two, plus further trips involving sides from Tunisia, Angola, Cameroon or Morocco. In short, three journeys to North Africa remain a real possibility once the balls are drawn.

Pirates last lifted the Champions League trophy in 1995, when the competition was still known as the African Cup of Champions Clubs. They have since reached the final once and the semi-finals twice, including a deep run in 2024. Coach Ouaddou has already spoken about aiming higher than simply qualifying, but the rankings show the size of the challenge that now lies ahead.

The group stage runs from 27 November 2026 to 24 January 2027. All eyes will be on Wednesday’s draw to see which opponents the Buccaneers must overcome if they are to advance further on the continent.

Source: https://x.com/KickOffMagazine/status/2114643344378753308

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