The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially rejected a proposal to expand the number of participating clubs in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup for the upcoming season, maintaining the current competition format without amendments.
The decision follows a proposal submitted by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), led by Hany Abou Rida, which sought to grant top-ranked African leagues additional qualification slots starting from the 2026–2027 campaign.
According to Moroccan media reports, CAF’s Competitions Committee thoroughly evaluated the request before recommending that no changes be made to the tournament regulations, a recommendation subsequently ratified by the governing body.
The proposed plan aimed to allocate an extra qualification slot per member association based on CAF ranking coefficients, which would have allowed leading national leagues to enter three clubs per tournament instead of two.
CAF’s decision carries direct consequences for several major continental clubs monitoring the situation, notably Egypt’s Al Ahly, who had hoped to secure a Champions League berth if Egypt’s allocation had been expanded.
The decision also ends any remaining continental hopes for Morocco’s Wydad AC. Having finished fifth in the Botola Pro, the Casablanca giants will miss out on African competitions for the first time in many years.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe had clarified days earlier that any operational or format changes undergo rigorous review by specialized committees within the organization, leading to the final outcome of keeping the status quo.
Consequently, the upcoming editions of both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup will proceed under traditional regulations, with top-ranked member associations retaining a maximum of two entries per tournament.
