The CAF Champions League 2026/27 calendar is approaching a key transition: October’s qualifying ties lead towards a group-stage start at the end of November. CAF’s published programme also covers the Confederation Cup. Here is what the calendar confirms, what it does not tell supporters yet, and how to follow the next stage carefully.
- The next qualifying return-leg window is 23–25 October.
- The opening group-stage window is 27–29 November.
- A competition window is not an individual club’s confirmed kick-off.
What has CAF announced?
CAF’s official club-competition calendar places the second preliminary round’s return matches on 23–25 October 2026. The group programme begins on 27–29 November, followed by two December windows and three January windows. The table condenses those published dates.
| Round | Scheduled window |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 27–29 November 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 4–6 December 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | 18–20 December 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | 8–10 January 2027 |
| Matchday 5 | 15–17 January 2027 |
| Matchday 6 | 22–24 January 2027 |
Why do the October return legs matter?
Supporters following a qualifying club should start with its actual tie, rather than jumping ahead to a possible November opponent. A continental calendar cannot establish that a particular team has qualified. Confirm the completed return-leg result and the organiser’s subsequent announcements before adding a group fixture to a club schedule.
As a practical reading method, keep the first-leg score, return-leg status and confirmed aggregate outcome in separate notes. This prevents a score from one match being mistaken for the result of the whole tie. If a game requires additional procedures, wait for the final official status before reporting progression. We are not predicting which clubs will emerge from this round.
How should Moroccan supporters plan the next month?
A useful club diary has two parallel lists: domestic fixtures and confirmed continental assignments. Our Botola Pro centre covers the domestic competition, while CAF’s announcements establish continental dates. Neither list should be used to invent the missing entries in the other.
In our editorial assessment, separating the lists helps readers spot questions worth checking: has a domestic fixture moved, is a continental date still a window, and has a venue been confirmed? Those are checks to make against announcements, not assumptions about travel, squad fatigue or a coach’s selection. Match previews should identify confirmed scheduling changes explicitly.
What is still needed before booking or publishing?
The round window alone is insufficient for a travel booking. Look for the individual fixture’s date, stadium, kick-off time and any attendance information supplied by the organiser or club. A stadium used in an earlier round is not confirmation of the next venue. This guide makes no ticket-availability or entry-rule claims.
The same distinction matters for an article. A calendar story can explain the next competition window today. A match preview needs the actual opponents and confirmed fixture. A report needs a completed event. Giving each story the evidence it needs is more useful than filling empty details with a likely-looking schedule.
What comes after the group programme?
The CAF announcement places the quarter-finals in late February and early March, the semi-finals in April, and the finals within 9–31 May 2027. The broad final window should not be presented as a single confirmed match date.
Use our football news page for competition guides and upcoming matches for available fixture listings. Check each listing’s competition and season: the Champions League and Confederation Cup share calendar windows but remain separate tournaments. Their results and qualification paths must not be combined into one table.
Calendar checked on 21 October 2026 against CAF’s announcement linked above. Planning guidance is editorial advice; no unannounced group draw, fixture or qualifier is asserted.