The 2024/25 CAF Champions League preliminary round draw scheduled for Thursday will have Mamelodi Sundowns enjoying a bye in the first round.
However, Orlando Pirates will have to do it the longer way with their name in the hat for the first round, just like was the case last year when they faced Djabal from Comoros.
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Just when Sundowns were starting their run in the second round against Bumamuru from Burundi, Pirates then came stuck against Jwaneng Galaxy.
This means Bucs – who have until July 20 to complete registrations – will start on the weekend of August 16-18 and play the return leg a week later.
They will play another round before the group stages start in October, with CAF confirming that there will be no teams dropping to the Confederation Cup again this year.
The Brazilians will this season get into the Champions League enjoying a first-round bye for the fifth consecutive season along with Al Ahly, Esperance, TP Mazembe and Petro de Luanda.
Sundowns have been allowed to skip the first qualifying round since the 2020/21 season when they reached the quarterfinals, with Kaizer Chiefs going all the way to the final.
Being exempted from the first qualifying round is based on the CAF 5-year ranking, which gives clubs in the top tier a bye, allowing the lowly-ranked teams an opportunity to compete amongst themselves.
For Sundowns, they will return to the premier club competition on the continent having also joined an elite group of clubs that have done double figure consecutive appearances in the competition.
In the period since the continent's premier club competition moved from the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1997, Sundowns is now one of only six clubs that have been into the Champions League for at least 10 years in a row.
Al Ahly, Al Hilal, TP Mazembe, Al Merrikh and ASEC Mimosas are the other five clubs.
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Sundowns will be in the competition for the 11th consecutive season.
The draw for the early rounds of the CAF Confederation Cup will also be conducted on Thursday.