The COSAFA sides competing in the group stages of the CAF club competitions this year have learned their fate after the draw was made in Cairo on Tuesday.
There are eight teams from the Southern African region in remaining in the competition, though Eswatini side Royal Leopards must still book their place in the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup with their postponed play-off fixture against JS Kabylie from Algeria still to be completed in January.
Holders Al Ahly have been drawn in Group A with South African side Mamelodi Sundowns and the Sudanese duo of Al Hilal and Al Merrikh in the pool stages of the African Champions League that will begin in February.
Egyptian side Ahly, who are led by former Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane, have won the title for the last two years and knocked the South African champions out in the quarterfinals in the 2020/21 campaign.
They beat another South African side, Kaizer Chiefs, 3-0 in the final last season to hand Mosimane his third title overall after he also won the competition with Sundowns in 2016.
Current African Confederation Cup holders Raja Casablanca head Group B and take on Horoya of Guinea, ES Setif from Algeria and South African debutants AmaZulu. The latter are coached by former Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy, who won the UEFA Champions League as a player with FC Porto.
There will be a Tunisian derby in Group C where Esperance and Etoile du Sahel clash with Algerian side CR Belouizdad and first time participants Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana.
There is another heavyweight tussle in Group D as Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca, who lifted the continental title in 2017, take on top Egyptian club Zamalek, as well as the Angolan pair of Petro Atletico and Sagrada Esperanca.
Matches in both competitions are set to start on the weekend of Feb. 11-12, one week after the completion of the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW
Group A: Al Ahly (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Al Hilal (Sudan), Al Merrikh (Sudan)
Group B: Raja Casablanca (Morocco), Horoya (Guinea), ES Setif (Algeria), AmaZulu (South Africa)
Group C: Esperance (Tunisia), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia), CR Belouizdad (Algeria), Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
Group D: Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Zamalek (Egypt), Petro Atletico (Angola), Sagrada Esperanca (Angola)
CONFEDERATION CUP GROUP STAGE DRAW
Group A: Pyramids (Egypt), CS Sfaxien (Tunisia), Zanaco (Zambia), Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya)
Group B: JS Kabylie (Algeria) or Royal Leopards (Eswatini), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), JS Saoura (Algeria), Al Ittihad (Libya)
Group C: TP Mazembe (DR Congo), CotonSport (Cameroon), Al Masry (Egypt), AS Otoho (Congo)
Group D: RS Berkane (Morocco), Simba SC (Tanzania), ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast), USGN (Niger)
