By: Emmanuel Patrick Laku | Sports Hunter South Sudan | 28th July 2026
JUBA – South Sudan Premier League champions El Merriekh SC will discover their opponents for the 2026/27 CAF Champions League preliminary round when the draw takes place on August 6 in Cairo, Egypt.
The Bentiu-based club returns to Africa's elite club competition after reclaiming the South Sudan Premier League title and will be looking to improve on its previous continental campaign.
El Merriekh's debut appearance in the CAF Champions League produced one of the most memorable results by a South Sudanese club in recent years.
On 18 August 2024, the South Sudan champions stunned Kenyan giants Gor Mahia FC with a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the preliminary round in Juba.
However, the Kenyan champions overturned the deficit in the return leg, recording a 5-1 victory at Nyayo National Stadium on 25 August 2024 to eliminate El Merriekh with a 5-2 aggregate score.
Now back on the continental stage, The Mars will be aiming to build on that experience as they seek to progress beyond the preliminary rounds.
According to information released by Gor Mahia FC, the draw will be conducted after CAF closes its club registration system and all participating Member Associations submit their final squad lists.
The first preliminary round will be played between 4 and 6 September, with the return legs scheduled for 11 to 13 September.
Teams that progress will advance to the second preliminary round, where first-leg matches are scheduled for 16 to 18 October, followed by the decisive return fixtures from 23 to 25 October.
For El Merriekh SC Bentiu, the August 6 draw marks the beginning of another opportunity to represent South Sudan on the continental stage and pursue a historic place in the CAF Champions League group stage.
