Group C of the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup has three confirmed teams and one place still unfilled. Following the 28 October draw, CAF listed Algeria’s CR Belouizdad, Mauritania’s AS Douanes and Guinea’s Hafia FC as alternatives for the group’s fourth position. This does not mean three available places or a three-team match: the outcome depends on an earlier legal dispute and a qualifying tie that remains outstanding.
The dispute stems from Hafia’s appeal against CAF’s decision to reschedule its match against AS Douanes. On 16 October, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally postponed the subsequent qualifying tie between AS Douanes and CR Belouizdad. The order protects the proceedings but does not declare Hafia qualified. That remained the position in CAF’s announcement published on 29 October 2026.
Why are three clubs named for a single place?
Hafia and AS Douanes met home and away in the first preliminary round. CAF recorded AS Douanes as the winner on the field, which would have taken the Mauritanian team into a two-legged second preliminary-round tie against CR Belouizdad. Hafia, however, disputes the decision to rearrange its second leg against the Mauritanian side. If that dispute changes the identity of Belouizdad’s opponent, the qualification pathway will also need to change.
The three names in the draw therefore represent one unresolved berth in the men’s club tournament. CR Belouizdad has not automatically reached the group stage; nor has AS Douanes secured the berth definitively through its result on the pitch, or Hafia through the granting of interim measures.
From the Nouakchott draw to the appeal: the timeline
| Date | Documented development |
|---|---|
| 5 September | AS Douanes and Hafia drew 2-2 in Nouakchott in the first leg of the first preliminary round. |
| 11 September | The aircraft intended to carry the AS Douanes delegation to Conakry for the return leg could not take off. CAF treated the incident as force majeure and rescheduled the match. |
| 16 September | Hafia appealed the rescheduling to the CAF Appeal Board. |
| 19 September | AS Douanes won the rescheduled match in Conakry 1-0, Mouhsen Bodda scoring in the 73rd minute. Aggregate score: 3-2 to the Mauritanian club. |
| 8 October | With no decision on the internal appeal at that point, Hafia applied to CAS for expedited proceedings and provisional measures. |
| 16 October | CAS partially granted the interim request and ordered the postponement of both AS Douanes v CR Belouizdad matches. |
| 26 October | CAF announced 15 confirmed group-stage teams, with one place undecided. |
| 28 and 29 October | The draw took place on 28 October; CAF’s 29 October release continued to list all three clubs as possibilities for Group C. |
What CAS ordered, and what it has not decided
According to the CAS communication dated 16 October, reproduced by Sports Law & Taxation, the sole arbitrator granted only part of Hafia’s request for provisional relief. CAF was ordered to postpone the first leg of AS Douanes v CR Belouizdad, scheduled for 17 October, and the second leg, originally due between 23 and 25 October. Neither match could be played before 6 November 2026. That restriction is not a confirmed new match date.
CAS made clear that its interim measures do not prejudge which team is entitled to progress. The tribunal must decide the substance of the appeal, after which CAF is responsible for scheduling the second preliminary-round tie before the group stage begins. As of the 29 October cutoff, no final ruling awarding the place to any of the three clubs had been identified.
Hafia argues that AS Douanes’ failure to appear in Conakry resulted from avoidable organisational failings rather than force majeure. In a statement reproduced by Guinean media, the club said CAF’s initial decision lacked reasons and its internal appeal remained unanswered. That is Hafia’s position, not a final finding of wrongdoing by AS Douanes or a CAS judgment on the merits. The tribunal’s published communication confirms the dispute and the postponement measure.
Who is already in Group C, and what happens next?
- Maniema Union, DR Congo: confirmed place.
- Singida Black Stars, Tanzania: confirmed place.
- Red Arrows, Zambia: confirmed place.
- CR Belouizdad (Algeria), AS Douanes (Mauritania) or Hafia (Guinea): one remaining place, not yet assigned.
CAF expects the group stage to start on the weekend of 27-29 November 2026, with the top two in each group progressing to the quarter-finals in February 2027. Before then, the legal case and the outstanding qualifier must be resolved in accordance with CAS directions. In the official communication checked on 29 October, no definitive winner had been announced for Group C’s fourth position.
Sources and references
- CAF, 2026/27 Confederation Cup group-stage draw announcement, 29 October 2026
- CAF, 15 confirmed group-stage places ahead of the draw, 26 October 2026
- CAF, AS Douanes 1-0 Hafia and 3-2 aggregate match report, 20 September 2026
- CAS, media release dated 16 October 2026 as reproduced by Sports Law & Taxation
- Hafia FC, 16 October 2026 statement reproduced by Africa Guinée
- Madar, Binta Ba report on the postponement and appeal, 16 October 2026
