By Mubukwanu Kaingu
Red Arrows will face Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi in August in the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League while Zesco United has a CAF Confederation Cup preliminary date against Zimbabwean opposition.
Zambia’s two continental envoys knew their opponents yesterday when the 2024/2025 CAF inter-club draws were made at CAF’s headquarters in Cairo.
Arrows will be away in the first leg against Bullets during the weekend of August 16 and will host the Malawi champions during the weekend of August 25.
The winner over both legs has a massive pregroup stage fixture against five-time CAF Champions League winners TP Mazembe of DR Congo.
Mazembe will be away in the first leg and should Arrows progress will attempt to be the first Zambian club to eliminate them at this stage of continental football.
Power Dynamos and Zesco United have both fallen at the hands of Mazembe in the preliminary stages.
The pregroup stage fixture dates are September 13-15 for Mazembe’s hosts while the final leg in Lubumbashi is set for the weekend of September 20-22.
The winner qualifies for the group stages while the loser will be eliminated from this year’s continental action.
Meanwhile, Zesco will also be making a very short trip in the preliminary stages.
Zesco will travel down to Harare to face Dynamos in their preliminary stage first-leg fixture during the weekend of August 16.
Dynamos will then make their continental debut at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola during the weekend of August 25.
The winner over both legs will face the victor of the other CAF Confederation Cup preliminary stage tie between Foresters of Seychelles and Orapa United of Botswana.
Zesco or Dynamos will be away in the first leg during the weekend of September 13-15 and home during the weekend of September 20-22.
The outcome of that tie in September will see the winner advance to the CAF Confederation Cup group stage.
Zambia’s clubs have not featured in the group stages since the 2021/2022 continental season when Zanaco made a group stage exit.
