Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Rivers United were yesterday drawn in a tough Group A pairing of the CAF Champions League along with Morocco’s RS Berkane and Egypt’s Pyramids FC, winners of last season’s CAF Confederation Cup and CAF Champions League respectively.

The Port Harcourt-based team will also battle another continental heavyweight  as Zambia’s Power Dynamos in a group that has been rightly tagged a rematch between reigning champions!

In the draw ceremony conducted inside the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Nigerian flag bearers are clearly the underdogs in the group and will need miracles to be able to book ticket to the last 16 round.

The draw set up what promises to be one of the most competitive groups of this season’s tournament, bringing together four clubs with strong continental ambitions.

For Rivers United, it marks a return to the CAF Champions League group phase with the hope of surpassing their previous continental outings.

Elsewhere, record 12-time winners, Al Ahly, anchor Group B, where they meet Tanzania’s Young Africans, Moroccan champions AS FAR, and two-time African champions JS Kabylie, a pool steeped in history and rivalry.

Group C pairs perennial contenders Mamelodi Sundowns with Al Hilal, MC Alger and St Éloi Lupopo, clubs with rich pedigree and fervent followings.

Four-time winners Espérance de Tunis headline Group D, alongside Simba SC, Petro de Luanda and Stade Malien, setting up heavyweight duels across the competition.

The Group Stage will kick off on the weekend of 21–23 November 2025, with two matchdays to be played before the start of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

The competition will then pause during the continental showpiece and resume on the weekend of 23–25 January 2026.

The knockout phase will begin on 13 March 2026. The CAF Champions League winners will receive USD 4,000,000 in prize money, while the runners-up will earn USD 2,000,000.

 CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUPS

Group A: RS Berkane (Morocco), Pyramids FC (Egypt), Rivers United (Nigeria), Power Dynamos (Zambia)

Group B:Al Ahly (Egypt), Young Africans (Tanzania), AS FAR (Morocco), JS Kabylie (Algeria)

Group C: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Al Hilal (Sudan), MC Alger (Algeria), St Éloi Lupopo (DR Congo)

Group D: Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia), Simba SC (Tanzania), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Stade Malien (Mali)