
CAF Interclub Preliminary Draw: Dar es Salaam Venue
Who Faces Who? CAF Interclub Preliminary Draw Lands in Dar es Salaam
Why Dar es Salaam, Why Now?
Choosing Tanzania’s commercial capital as the Dar es Salaam draw venue reflects hard data: TV audiences for the two flagship tournaments have grown fastest in East Africa over the past three seasons. CAF’s newest broadcast partner, Azam Media, pushed for a high-profile event on home soil, and the federation obliged—an emphatic CAF fixtures announcement that dovetails with the region’s vibrant football economy and delivers headline-grabbing African football latest news.
The Essential Logistics
Item | Detail |
---|---|
Draw date and time CAF | Saturday, 9 Aug 2025 — 13:00 EAT (10:00 GMT) |
Format | Separate CAF Champions League draw and CAF Confederation Cup draw for the preliminary round |
Broadcast | Free CAF draw live stream on CAF’s YouTube plus 30+ terrestrial partners |
Match Windows | 1st-leg ties: 19–21 Sept 2025; 2nd-leg ties: 26–28 Sept 2025 |
Next Stage | 2nd preliminary round starts 17 Oct 2025; Road to group stages completes 21 Nov 2025 |
How Preliminary Round Seeding Works
The buzzword is “preliminary round seeding.” CAF ranks clubs on the five-year coefficient; the top five are exempt from round one, while 54 others are sorted into geography-based pots. The official procedures confirm pot allocations CAF draw will feature five pots—one each for exempted giants and four for the remaining tiers. The aim: minimize early continental travel, slash costs, and protect heavyweight clashes for later rounds.
“Seeding preserves sporting merit yet keeps regional rivalries alive,” explains CAF Competitions Director Samson Adamu. “Fans still get blockbusters; clubs still save on 8-hour flights.”
That balance is why coaches keep one eye on the CAF Interclub preliminary draw long before a ball is kicked.
Spotlight on East Africa
Local supporters will lap up Tanzania football news on two fronts. First, Simba SC and Young Africans could secure favourable ties thanks to seeding. Second, hosting the glitzy ceremony burnishes Tanzania’s image ahead of co-hosting CHAN 2024. Both threads feed directly into the road to group stages, where East African clubs historically struggle. “Drawing powerhouses at home in the first leg helps,” notes analyst Asha Mwakyusa.
What the Draw Means for the CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League draw stories dominate African football latest news cycles every August.
- Champions of Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Tanzania are expected to be the five exempted sides—an example of coefficient-driven preliminary round seeding.
- Because only two qualifying rounds stand between now and the lucrative groups, every coach talks of “small margins on the road to group stages.”
- Expect marquee fixtures such as TP Mazembe vs. Petro de Luanda should the ping-pong balls fall that way.
Why the Confederation Cup Is No Side Show
The parallel CAF Confederation Cup draw may lack the star-power of its Champions League cousin, but prize money jumped 30 percent this cycle, making the secondary tournament a genuine target. Clubs like RS Berkane and USM Alger will track pot allocations CAF draw just as nervously; the right (or wrong) ball can sabotage a season before it starts. It is no wonder CAF’s Production Unit will run a dual-screen CAF draw live stream showing both brackets simultaneously.
Must-Know Talking Points for Fans & Media
Talking Point | Why It Matters | Keyword Trigger |
---|---|---|
Will Al Ahly avoid an early North-African derby? | A derby in September hurts TV ratings later. | CAF Champions League draw |
Could newcomer Bibiani Gold Stars pull a heavyweight? | Ghanaian debutants chasing history. | African club competitions |
Where does the Draw date and time CAF slot within domestic seasons? | Some leagues resume only a week earlier. | — |
Are there seeded match-ups that guarantee at least one West African club in groups? | Pot logic shapes travel budgets. | Preliminary round seeding |
We will know all when the master of ceremonies empties Pot 5—cue a spike in Google searches for CAF Interclub preliminary draw and CAF fixtures announcement alike.
How to Watch
- CAF draw live stream (YouTube) — free worldwide, English/French/Arabic commentary.
- Regional partners Azam Sport (Tanzania) and SuperSport (pan-Africa).
- Minute-by-minute text on CAFOnline plus companion X (formerly Twitter) thread pushing African football latest news.
Make sure your alerts are on; the Draw date and time CAF slot overlaps with Europe’s lunch hour—perfect for viral clips.
Beyond the Draw: Key Calendar Dates
- 19 Sept 2025 – Preliminary first legs start the official road to group stages.
- 17 Oct 2025 – Second preliminary round.
- 21 Nov 2025 – Both tournaments’ groups kick off, setting up a frantic festive period.
- 13 Mar 2026 – Knock-out phase begins, culminating in back-to-back continental finals in May.
Every club plotting the route from Dar es Salaam to a May showpiece knows the equation: survive four ties and bank a multi-million-dollar payout.
Final Whistle
The CAF Interclub preliminary draw in Tanzania is more than a TV show; it’s a pivotal reset button for 120+ clubs across Africa. By planting the Dar es Salaam draw venue on the continental map and revealing pot allocations CAF draw in real-time, CAF delivers a must-see spectacle that fuels anticipation for the season ahead. From the minute the host announces, “Stand by for Pot 1,” to the moment journalists file their Tanzania football news wrap-ups, the entire continent will be glued to the unfolding drama.
Bookmark the CAF draw live stream, mark the Draw date and time CAF, and keep those notifications on: the road to group stages starts now, and the next chapter of African club competitions—with all its shocks, dreams and storylines—begins in Dar es Salaam.