The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2026/27 got under way with a weekend that showed just how fine the margins can be in the preliminary rounds.
Across the 28 first legs completed from Friday to Sunday, there were 43 goals, 11 home victories, seven away wins and 10 draws, leaving plenty still to play for when the return fixtures are staged from 11-13 September.
CAFOnline looks at some of the standout statistical talking points from the opening weekend.
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Seven teams conquer on the roadWinning away from home in continental football is never straightforward, but seven clubs managed it over the weekend.
Zamalek were the first as they defeated AS Port 2-1 in Djibouti, before Al Hilal Omdurman and Teungueth FC followed with victories on Saturday.
Sunday then produced four more away successes as Pyramids FC won 2-0 at Gor Mahia, while Petro Atlético, Simba SC and TP Mazembe all claimed 1-0 victories at UD Songo, Mighty Wanderers and Medeama respectively.
That means away teams won exactly 25% of the 28 completed matches. Even more impressively, six of those seven away victories came with a clean sheet, with Zamalek the only travelling winners to concede.
Clean sheets the order of the weekendTwenty of the 28 matches – more than 71% – featured at least one team keeping a clean sheet, while there were 25 individual team clean sheets across the weekend.
Five matches finished 0-0, including La Cure Waves’ impressive stalemate with Orlando Pirates, ASN Nigelec’s draw with MC Alger, and Colombe Sportive’s meeting with Stade Malien. Aiglons against Sidaama Buna and Star Sport Academy against Medina United also failed to produce a goal.
Only eight of the 28 matches saw both teams score.
Tight contestsNo fewer than 11 of the 28 fixtures – 39% – finished 1-0. Asswehly, JS Saoura, El Merriekh Bentiu, Al Merreikh, Club Africain, Aigles du Congo and Scottland were all 1-0 winners at home, while Teungueth, Petro Atlético, Simba and TP Mazembe achieved the same result away.
Add the five goalless draws and more than half of the weekend’s matches – 16 of 28 – produced one goal or fewer.
Big names frustratedSome of the weekend’s most eye-catching results were not victories at all.
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Champions League debutants La Cure Waves held Orlando Pirates to a 0-0 draw in Mauritius, giving themselves everything to play for in the return leg in South Africa. CAF had identified Pirates as one of the established sides facing a potentially tricky opening assignment, and the Mauritian newcomers ensured that prediction proved accurate.
Botswana champions Gaborone United also came within seconds of an impressive victory against Tanzanian giants Young Africans. Ambrosius Amseb put the hosts ahead after 32 minutes, but Selemani Mwalimu rescued Yanga with an equaliser six minutes into stoppage time.
ASN Nigelec likewise denied highly rated MC Alger with a 0-0 draw in Niamey, another reminder that reputation counts for little once preliminary-round football begins.
Two four-goal statementsTwo teams scored four goals, and both have given themselves significant cushions for the return fixtures.
Wiliete recorded the biggest margin of victory with their 4-0 success against Foresters, while Maghreb Fès defeated Rahimo 4-1 in Morocco. The latter had four different scorers as Adam Brika, Soulaïman Allouch, Titus and Christopher Ibayi all found the net.