Kaizer Chiefs were drawn in Group D for the league phase of the 2025/26 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup at a ceremony held at SuperSport studios in Johannesburg on Monday.

They will face Egyptian giants, Zamalek, as well as their compatriots, Al Masry, with Zambian side, Zesco United completing the foursome.

Amakhosi came through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stages, overcoming Kubascorp from Angola on penalties in the first preliminary round after the two legs ended 1-1 on aggregate, and the AS Simba from Democratic Republic of Congo, 3-1 on aggregate in the second preliminary round.

Speaking exclusively to www.kaizerchiefs.com, Club Sporting Director, Kaizer Motaung Jr. says, “It’s an historic occasion, being the first time we’ve reached the group stages of the Confed Cup. We are very excited and I think there’s a bit of history within the group. We have faced Zamalek and Zesco in continental competition before. We have never beaten a Zambian team in a competition so we will be looking to put that right. It’s going to be very tough but we are looking forward to our African journey.”

The team will have to fly the full length of the continent twice, which is something Motaung feels will be a good test of Amakhosi’s mettle in pressurised situations.

“Yes, two trips to Egypt. We know how strong the support is there so it will be a good challenge for us to cope with,” he says, adding, “The logistics regarding Zesco are a bit easier, being a shorter trip, but overall we are happy with the group.”

Chiefs’ Angolan defender, Inacio Miguel is also excited in anticipation of the task that lies ahead for them.

“To be here to represent Kaizer Chiefs in Africa is a moment of pride for us and for the fans. We know we have a very difficult group but it is what we were expecting because we are competing among the best clubs in Africa, and we are one of them so we must keep working hard in order to progress as far as we can.”

Miguel, who has previous experience at this stage of the competition with former clubs has taught him that, “in CAF Competition there are no easy games no matter where you play. We have to play every game as if it’s a final, even in the group phase. We can’t afford anything less than one hundred percent concentration for every 90 minutes. We have some players in the squad who have experienced this level before and I believe we have the talent to do well in the group and hopefully go through to the next round.”

Amakhosi begin their campaign away to Al Masry on the weekend of 23 November, followed by a home fixture against Zamalek on 30 November. They will resume in 2026, with a trip to Zambia to face Zesco before returning home to meet the same opponents on 1 February. Thereafter, they host Al Masry on 8 February and close out the group phase with a visit to Cairo to face Zamalek on 15 February.