BUCCANEERS DRAW MAURITIAN CHAMPIONS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Orlando Pirates will face Mauritian outfit La Cure Waves in the opening round of the CAF Champions League, following the draw held in Cairo on Thursday.

The 2026/27 edition of Africa’s most prestigious club competition kicks off with the First Preliminary Round whose first-leg fixtures get underway on Friday, 4 September. The reigning South African league champions are one of the teams that will be on show on the opening weekend as they look to take a crucial first step towards group stage qualification.

They have been drawn against Mauritius’ sole representative in the tournament, who qualified to participate in the competition for the first time in their history after clinching domestic league honours in the 2025/26 campaign.

Pirates’ continental campaign will begin on the road when the travel to Mauritius before returning for the second leg scheduled for the weekend of 11 September. They head into the upcoming season aiming for a return to the Champions League group stages, having fallen short on their most recent attempt.

Prior to that, the 1995 African champions went as far as the semifinals before losing to eventual champions Pyramids, who denied them their first final since 2013. They will be targeting a good start against the Mauritian Premier League champions, who go into their debut campaign on a high after clinching a domestic double back home.

The two-legged tie between the two sides holds some historic significance, with it being their first-ever meeting. The team which emerges victorious on aggregate at the end of the second leg will face the winner of the parallel match-up between AS Mangasport of Gabon and Namibian giants Africa Sport in the Second Preliminary Round which kicks off in October.

Fixture dates, venues and kick-off times will be confirmed in due course.

SOURCED FROM THE CLUB’S WEBSITE.Share