RS Berkane have been drawn in Group C of the CAF Champions League, alongside Simba SC, Orlando Pirates and Colombe Sportive. Semi-finalists in the last edition on their debut, Berkane meet Orlando Pirates again, the side they beat in the 2022 final in Uyo.
RS Berkane now know their opponents for the group stage of the CAF Champions League. Drawn in Group C, the Moroccan side will face Simba SC (Tanzania), Orlando Pirates (South Africa) and Colombe Sportive du Dja et Lobo (Cameroon), according to SuperSport, confirmed by RFI.
The draw brings together Berkane and Orlando Pirates, who lost on penalties to the Moroccan club in the 2022 CAF Confederation Cup final in Uyo. The South Africans, for their part, had knocked out Simba on penalties in the quarter-finals the same year.
Berkane out to build on debut run
In their first appearance in the Champions League, RS Berkane reached the semi-finals last season, according to SuperSport. The club must now back up that run in a group stage featuring six matchdays.
The Moroccan club will therefore need to string results together over the long haul, with the aim of keeping their place in the competition against three opponents they have not yet faced in this setting.
Three opponents with differing profiles
Orlando Pirates will be coached by Abdeslam Ouaddou, a coach and former Morocco international, according to Seneweb. The South African club, who knocked out Simba on penalties in 2022, meet Berkane again with the memory of the Uyo final.
Simba SC are coached by Steve Barker, formerly of Stellenbosch, and lead the Tanzanian league by five points, according to SuperSport.
Colombe Sportive du Dja et Lobo have won the last two Cameroon league titles and are playing in their first group stage. Having qualified in the first round on penalties against Stade Malien, the Cameroonian side then beat Teungueth FC 3-0 on aggregate, according to SuperSport and CamerounWeb.
Schedule and the competition’s other group
The six group-stage matchdays will be played between late November and late January, according to SuperSport. The first matchday is scheduled for 27-29 November 2026, roughly a month after the draw.
The top two will go through to the quarter-finals, scheduled for February 2027.
Group D brings together Pyramids, Al Hilal Omdurman, Horoya AC and MAS Fès, according to RFI.