CAF Confederations Cup Qualifiers: Stellies on their African adventure
The CAF Confederations cup is Africa's Second Tier continental competition. Stellenbosch finished third last season, which means they will be playing in this competition instead of the CAF Champions League. With the Competition still in its preliminary rounds, we will be profiling Stellenbosch and their opponents ahead of the competition's kick off on the 17th of August 2024.
Did You Know?
No South African soccer team has won the CAF Confederations Cup.
CAF Confederations Cup 2024/2025
52 clubs from 41 African countries were included in the draw for this season CAF Confederations Cup held by Egyptian giants, Zamalek SC. Having simultaneous holders of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup, is a real testament to the quality of Egyptian soccer teams on the continent.
The Preliminary Stages of the CAF Confederation Cup will be divided into two rounds. The first Preliminary Round involving 40 matches and the second Preliminary Round, which will consist of 32 matches, will determine the 16 clubs that will be drawn into the four groups of the Group Stages of the competition. For the first Preliminary Round, the 12 highest-ranked clubs will be exempted from playing and will only compete in the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederations Cup. These 12 clubs are RS Berkane (Morocco), Asec Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire), Stade Malien (Mali), Enyimba (Nigeria), Zamalek (Egypt), USM Alger (Algeria), Simba SC (Tanzania) El Masry (Egypt), CS Sfaxien (Tunisia), AS Vita (DR Congo), Sekhukhune United (South Africa) and FC Lupopo (Dr Congo). ASC Jaraaf (Senegal), AS Otoho (Benin) and Zesco United (Zambia) will all play non-ranked teams in the 2nd Preliminary round due to their higher-ranking position.
The First Preliminary Round First Leg will take place between 16 - 18 August, with the return leg set to be played between 23 – 25 August 2024.
The Second Preliminary Round will take place between 13 - 15 September, while the return leg is to be confirmed. The draw for the Group Stages will be played between 20 – 22 September 2024.
Nsingizini Hotspurs FC vs Stellenbosch
17 August 2024
Stellenbosch are scheduled to face Eswatini's Nsingizini Hotspurs, who finished last season in third place overall in their domestic league. They managed 27 goals and conceded 17 goals on their way to finish two points behind Green Mamba and seven points behind Mbabane Swallows. This finish was a stark improvement on their efforts from the 2022/2023 season, where they found themselves finishing sixth overall. Although they scored 34 goals that season, they were worse in defence, conceding 24 goals. A better defence has been the catalyst for a team not to be taken lightly.
Stellenbosch FC also finished last season in third after a horrific run of results at the tail end of the season, which saw them fall from second in the league, to third. They suffered three defeats in a row but were still considered one of the stand out performers of the 2023/2024 Premier Soccer League season. One big positive is how they progressed against TS Galaxy in their first game of the season in the MTN 8. They managed a 3-1 win over the Mpumalanga based side and did so after going a goal down. Adams, De Jong and Basadien coming to their rescue. Stellenbosch will take this competition very seriously, in their pursuit of continental silverware.
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