Kaizer Chiefs have been granted the comforts of an extra month in preparing for their return to CAF club inter competitions following the release of key dates for both the Champions League and Confederation Cup.
Chiefs will make their way back to continental football by playing in the 2025/26 Confederation Cup.
This comes after they won the Nedbank Cup in May, ending a decade-long wait for silverware.
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Worth noting for the club is that their entrance ticket to the second-tier club competition could come with a bottom start based on their position in the CAF 5-year ranking, which incorporates results from the 2020/21 season up to 2024/25.
Fortunate for the Soweto giants is that their last appearance in continental club football was within the last five years when they lost to Al Ahly in the final of the Champions League.
That runner-up achievement places them down in position 43 on the 2025/26 CAF club competitions rankings, making them the lowest-ranked South African club.
This means they might have to start in the preliminary rounds scheduled for September 19-21 and September 26-28.
Stellenbosch FC will get a bye in the preliminary round of the same competition, while Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates will also enjoy the same benefits in the Champions League and only get into action in October.
Of significance for Amakhosi is this year’s inter-club competitions starting a month later due to the CHAN finals in August.
With the Confederation Cup starting in September, this places the registration deadline for the preliminary round at August 31.
It will open on August 1.
The second preliminary round (first round proper) registration dates will be September 1 – September 30, with games played from October 17-19 and October 24-26.
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Then, in the group stage, the registration dates will be October 1-October 31 with that six-match round played from November 21, 2025, to February 15, 2026.
The quarterfinals, semis, and finals window will open in January 2026.
Chiefs are carrying the biggest strain in preparing for the CAF competitions of the four SA clubs as evidenced by their transfer market hustles in seeking to reinforce their squad.
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
