The qualifying phase for the fourth edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League is set to commence in August, marking the beginning of the journey for teams aiming for continental glory.
Title holders, Mamelodi Sundowns, have already secured their spot in the final phase, where they will seek to clinch a record third title.
A total of eight teams will compete in the final phase of the tournament. Mamelodi Sundowns, along with the tournament hosts, are automatically qualified.
The remaining six teams will emerge from regional qualifiers conducted by each of the CAF Zonal Unions.
The draws for the CECAFA, UNAF, UNIFFAC, and WAFU B qualifiers will take place on July 24 at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, setting the stage for an intense competition.
WAFU A Qualifiers:
The WAFU A qualifiers are scheduled to take place from August 2-11 at the Bo Stadium in Sierra Leone.
The participating teams are Red Scorpion (Gambia), Determine Girls (Liberia), AS Mandé (Mali), Eagle of the Medina (Senegal), and Mogbwemo Queens (Sierra Leone).
The format will be a round-robin, with the top team advancing to the CAF Women’s Champions League.
WAFU B Qualifiers:
The WAFU B qualifiers will be held from August 10-23 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny and Champroux Stadium.
Participating teams include Ainonvi FC (Benin), Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana), Inter Abidjan (Ivory Coast), AO Étincelles OR USFA (Burkina Faso), AS National Guard (Niger), Edo Queens (Nigeria), and ASKO from Kara (Togo).
UNIFFAC Qualifiers:
The UNIFFAC qualifiers are slated for August 16-24 in Kinshasa, DR Congo, at the Martyrs Stadium.
The teams competing are Lekié FF (Cameroon), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Atlético de Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), and CSM Diables Noirs (Congo).
COSAFA Qualifiers:
The COSAFA qualifiers will take place from August 16-24 in South Africa.
The participating teams include UWC LFC (South Africa), Gaborone United (Botswana), FC Mlawi Mdjini (Comoros), Lesotho Defense Force (Lesotho), Ascent Academy (Malawi), UD Lichinga (Mozambique), FC Ongos (Namibia), Green Buffaloes (Zambia), Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe), and a team from Eswatini.
CECAFA Qualifiers:
The CECAFA qualifiers are scheduled for August 17-September 4 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the Addis Ababa Stadium and Abebe Bikila Stadium.
Competing teams include PVP Buyenzi (Burundi), FAD (Djibouti), CBE FC (Ethiopia), Kenya Police Bullets (Kenya), Kawempe Muslim (Uganda), Sports Department (Rwanda), Yei Joint Stars (South Sudan), Simba Queens (Tanzania), and Warriors Queens (Zanzibar).
UNAF Qualifiers:
The UNAF qualifiers will be held from August 21-31 in Algiers, Algeria, at the July 5 Stadium and Nelson Mandela Stadium.
The teams participating are CF Akbou (Algeria), Tutankhamun (Egypt), AS Far (Morocco), and ASF Sousse (Tunisia).
