The NPFL teams participating in African continental football competitions for the coming season have been drawn to the news of the official draws which are to take place on Tuesday in a press release by CAF official website on Sunday.
The draws for the continental club competitions will signal the kick-off of the new football season in Africa.
TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, Confederation Cup Preliminary Draw on Tuesday https://t.co/Irtf4PT81W
— CAF Media (@CAF_Media) July 23, 2023
The preliminary stages draw will be conducted on Tuesday, 25 July 2023 at 14h00 Cairo time (11h00 GMT) at the CAF Headquarters starting with the CAF Confederation Cup, and followed closely by the CAF Champions League.
According to the official release, the draw ceremony will be live across all CAF TV partners, CAF official website CAFONLINE.COM, and the official CAF YouTube Channel, CAF TV.
Clubs in the CAF competitions draw
54 clubs from 42 Member Associations will be engaged in this season's CAF Champions League, while 52 clubs representing 41 Member Associations will compete in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Performance of CAF competitions last season
The last season’s finals of both CAF competitions saw record-breaking viewership numbers and attendance.
According to CAF, “this trend is expected to increase and filter down into the knockout and group stages of both competitions as the appetite for premium African football content continues to be on the rise globally”.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly clinched a record-equalling 11th CAF Champions League title with a 3-2 aggregate win over Morocco's Wydad Athletic Club last season.
Meanwhile USM Alger of Algeria are the defending champions of the CAF Confederations Cup title after overcoming Tanzania's Young Africans in ‘Away Goals Rule' after it ended 2-2 on aggregate, in one of the tournament's most memorable finals.
The NPFL teams in CAF competitions
Four teams from the Nigeria Professional Football League will be taking part in Africa's elite club competitions for the 2023/24 season.
Two NPFL teams will participate in the CAF Champions League, while the other two will play in the CAF Confederations Cup.
NPFL CAF Champions League teams
NPFL champions Enyimba FC, and runners-up Remo Stars of Ikenne, are the two representatives from the most populous African country for the CAF Champions League.
NPFL CAF Confederations Cup teams
On the other hand, former Champions Rivers United, and the Aiteo Cup champions Bendel Insurance, will be battling it out as the country’s representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup.
NPFL CAF competitions' facts
Enyimba are two-time Champions League winners (2003 and 2024)
No Nigerian club has won the Confederation Cup
Rivers United were knocked out in the CAF Confederations Cup in the quarterfinals last season
Remo Stars will be playing in the CAF Champions League for the first time in their history.
Bendel Insurance will be participating in the CAF Confederation Cup for the first time in their history
What Nigerian fans expect from the NPFL representatives in CAF competitions
As the NPFL teams await their fate in Africa's premier clubs competitions draw, expectations are high from the clubs who'll be bringing continental football to Nigeria.
Football fans in Nigeria are expecting the clubs to go far in their respective competitions and try to win the titles, to bring back the glory days when Nigerian football reigned supreme in Africa through the eleventh-time winners of the NPFL, Enyimba International FC.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
