South Africa’s Betway Premiership sides, Kaizer Chiefs and Stellenbosch FC, have avoided each other in the last-16 stage of the CAF Confederation Cup draw conducted on Monday.
Tough Egyptian opponents
Chiefs, returning to continental competition for the first time in 12 years, were placed in Group D alongside two tough Egyptian opponents—Zamalek SC and Al Masry SC—as well as Zesco United from Zambia.
The mighty Amakhosi qualified for this year’s tournament by virtue of their Nedbank Cup triumph, where they defeated traditional arch-rivals Orlando Pirates 2–1 in the final at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on June 19.
The Ke Yona Cup, regarded as South Africa’s version of the FA Cup, ended a decade-long trophy drought for the Naturena-based side and earned them a spot in Africa’s second-tier club competition.
Lost final to Egyptians
Chiefs last appeared in a continental tournament during the 2020/2021 CAF Champions League, where they reached the final but lost to Al Ahly SC of Egypt. Last week, Chiefs sealed their place in the group stage after a commanding 3–0 aggregate win over Simba FC of Tanzania.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch FC have been drawn in Group C, where they will face CR Belouizdad (Algeria), AS Otoho (Congo), and Singida Black Stars (Tanzania). The Cape outfit advanced to the group stages after overcoming 15 de Agosto of Angola 4–1 on aggregate in the qualifying round.
During the draw, teams were seeded into four pots—Pot 1 (four teams), Pot 2 (four teams), Pot 3 (two teams), and Pot 4 (six teams). The final two teams drawn from Pot 4 were reclassified as “Pot 3” teams for the draw process.
Full CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage Draw:
Group A: USM Alger (Algeria), Djoliba AC de Bamako (Mali), Olympique Club de Safi (Morocco) and FC San Pedro (Ivory Coast)
Group B: Wydad AC (Morocco), AS Maniema (DRC), Azam FC (Tanzania) and Nairobi United FC (Kenya)
Group C: CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Stellenbosch FC (South Africa), AS Otoho (Congo) and Singida Black Stars (Tanzania)
Group D: Zamalek SC (Egypt), Al Masry SC (Egypt), Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) and Zesco United FC (Zambia)
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