Rangers vs MC Alger and El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca are now the only ties keeping Nigerian clubs in African competition this season, with a place in the group stage on the line in both. Enugu Rangers face the Algerian champions in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round, while El-Kanemi meet the Moroccan giants in the CAF Confederation Cup, with first legs in Nigeria between October 16 and 18 and the return games between October 23 and 25.
First legs 16 to 18 October, return legs 23 to 25 October 2026
- RangersTBCMC Alger
- El-Kanemi WarriorsTBCRaja Casablanca
- MC AlgerTBCRangers
- Raja CasablancaTBCEl-Kanemi Warriors
CAF confirmed the windows when it set out the 2026/27 calendar, and it said the 16 winners in each competition will advance to a group stage that begins at the end of November. The exact kick-off days and times for the Nigerian fixtures are still to be announced.
Rangers carry Nigeria’s Champions League hopes after Rivers United’s exit
Nigeria started the continental season with four clubs and lost half of them in the first round. Rivers United went out of the Champions League on away goals to Côte d’Ivoire’s FC San Pedro after a 2-2 draw in Uyo left the tie level at 3-3, and Shooting Stars fell 2-1 on aggregate to CS Sfaxien of Tunisia after losing 2-0 in Sfax.
Rangers only survived on penalties. The Flying Antelopes drew both legs against AS Sobemap of Benin to finish 2-2 on aggregate before winning the shootout 5-4, which means they’ve scored just twice in two continental games so far. That return will worry the technical crew heading into a tie against MC Alger, who were held in their first leg by ASN Nigelec of Niger before winning the tie 5-0 on aggregate.
The two clubs have met at this level before, most famously when MC Alger beat Rangers 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the 1976 African Cup of Champions Clubs on their way to winning the title.
Why the Abeokuta leg could decide Rangers’ tie
Rangers will play their home leg in Abeokuta, as they did against Sobemap, because the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu is being renovated. With the return leg in Algiers a week later, the result in Abeokuta will shape how Rangers approach the second game.
The champions’ league form has dipped at the wrong moment, too. Ikorodu City ended Rangers’ unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 win in Lagos on NPFL Matchday 6, leaving them on 10 points and behind leaders Barau FC. The squad that won last season’s NPFL title race will need to find a sharper edge in front of goal over the next three weeks.
El-Kanemi’s first-leg cushion plan faces its toughest test
El-Kanemi reached this stage by beating UDIB of Guinea-Bissau 3-1 on aggregate. Nnamdi Mejuobi scored twice, including a penalty, and Dayo Wahab added a late third in a 3-0 first-leg win in Ikenne, and that cushion was enough to survive a 1-0 defeat in Bissau.
Raja Casablanca were exempt from the first round, so the Moroccan side will come into the tie fresh and will host the second leg in Casablanca. The Maiduguri club will again stage their home game at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, and a first-leg result like the one against UDIB would give them a real chance of causing one of the upsets of the round.
What’s at stake for Nigerian football beyond October
A group stage place would mean six more continental games for each club, more prize money and a boost to Nigeria’s standing in CAF’s club rankings, which decide how many teams each country can enter. Clubs knocked out in the preliminary rounds don’t leave empty-handed, since CAF said Champions League clubs eliminated at this stage would each receive a USD 100,000 subvention to help with travel and logistics, but it’s a small sum next to what the group stage offers.
Rangers and El-Kanemi have just under three weeks to prepare, with league games still to play in between, and CAF is expected to confirm match officials and exact kick-off times closer to the first legs.
