Al Ahly of Egypt, the most successful club in African football history with a record 25 CAF titles, will compete in the CAF Confederation Cup this season after failing to qualify for the CAF Champions League. The Cairo-based club received a bye into the second round of the competition, where they will face the winner between Mogadishu City of Somalia and Kitara of Uganda.
The draw, conducted on August 6, 2026, in Cairo, placed Ahly in the second round, with the first leg scheduled for September 13-15 and the return leg on September 20-22, 2026. Ahly have won the Confederation Cup once before, in 2014, and are aiming to add a second title to their name.
Ahly's participation in the second-tier competition marks a rare occurrence for the club, which has traditionally dominated the Champions League, winning it a record 12 times. Their last Champions League triumph came in 2023, but they were eliminated in the 2025-26 edition, prompting their entry into the Confederation Cup.
The club, managed by Swiss coach Marcel Koller, will be looking to bounce back and secure continental silverware. The winner of the Confederation Cup earns a spot in the CAF Super Cup and a place in the FIFA Club World Cup.
