Kenya Police FC drawn against Mogadishu City Club in CAF Champions League debut

Kenya Police FC will face Somalia’s Mogadishu City Club in the first preliminary round of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League, the club confirmed via their official X account on Saturday.

The law enforcers, making their continental debut, will be looking to navigate the two-legged tie scheduled for September 19–21 (first leg) and September 26–28 (second leg) to advance to the next stage.

Victory would set up a second-round clash against either South Sudan’s Jamus FC Juba or Sudanese giants Al Hilal. The aggregate winner of that tie will book a coveted place in the Champions League group stage.

This year’s competition has attracted a record 62 clubs, drawn at Azam Media Studios in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Two sides, Al Ahly of Egypt and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, received byes to the second round based on their CAF Club Ranking.

CAF has introduced a new incentive this season, with clubs eliminated in the first two rounds set to receive $100,000 to offset logistical costs, a move aimed at encouraging wider participation.

Kenya Police were placed in Pot 1 alongside Aigle Noir FC (Burundi), ASAS/Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti), Insurance Company (Ethiopia), APR FC (Rwanda), Mogadishu City Club (Somalia), Jamus FC Juba (South Sudan) and Mlandege FC (Zanzibar).

The CAF Champions League preliminary stage will determine the 16 teams advancing to the lucrative group phase, with champions set to be crowned in May 2026.