Overview
- Group A pits holders Pyramids with RS Berkane, Rivers United and Power Dynamos, including a rematch of last month’s Super Cup and three first-time group participants.
- Group C reunites Mamelodi Sundowns with former coach Rulani Mokwena’s Mouloudia Alger alongside Al Hilal and Saint‑Eloi Lupopo, who knocked out Orlando Pirates.
- Record 12-time winners Al Ahly headline Group B with JS Kabylie, Morocco’s AS FAR and Tanzania’s Young Africans.
- Group D features Esperance, Petro Luanda, Simba and debutants Stade Malien.
- The group phase opens Nov 21–22 and runs to mid‑February, with the top two in each group advancing to quarter‑finals in March.